Hormonal Correlates and Predictors of Nutritional Recovery in Malnourished African Children.
Nabwera, Helen M;
Bernstein, Robin M;
Agbla, Schadrac C;
Moore, Sophie E;
Darboe, Momodou K;
Colley, Mariama;
Jallow, Amadou T;
Bradbury, Richard;
Karafin, Jennifer;
Fulford, Anthony J;
+1 more...Prentice, Andrew M;
(2017)
Hormonal Correlates and Predictors of Nutritional Recovery in Malnourished African Children.
Journal of tropical pediatrics, 64 (5).
pp. 364-372.
ISSN 0142-6338
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/tropej/fmx075
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BACKGROUND: Malnourished children show variable growth responses to nutritional rehabilitation. We aimed to investigate whether these differences could be explained by variations in growth and energy-regulating hormones. METHODS: Quasi-experimental study: Children aged 6-24 months in rural Gambia were recruited to controls if weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) > -2 (n = 22), moderate acute malnutrition if WHZ < -2 and > -3 (n = 18) or severe acute malnutrition if WHZ < -3 (n = 20). Plasma hormone and salivary CRP levels were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: In univariable analyses, increases in weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) in malnourished children were positively correlated with insulin (F-ratio 7.8, p = 0.006), C-peptide (F-ratio 12.2, p < 0.001) and cortisol (F-ratio 5.0, p = 0.03). In multivariable analysis, only baseline C-peptide (F-ratio 7.6, p = 0.009) predicted the changes in WAZ over 28 days of interventions. CONCLUSION: In rural Gambian, malnourished children, although it cannot be used in isolation, baseline C-peptide was a predictor of future response to rehabilitation.