<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Purpose: to evaluate the serum levels of micronutrients in children with nutritional disorders, and to find if there is a direct correlation between them and the anthropometric measurements. Materials and methods: the study was conducted on 125 children (0-18 years); the working group consisted in children with Z-score &lt; -2 standard deviations for at least one anthropometric measurement, while the children without growth disorders were considered as controls. Thus, for each anthropometric measurement, we had different working/control groups that were used for the assessment of correlation with laboratory findings. We followed eight anthropometric parameters and their relation with five of the micronutrients (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu). Results: no statistical differences were found in micronutrients serum levels between genders or provenance. Most mean serum levels of micronutrients were lower in the children with Z-scores &lt; -2 standard deviations (except Cu). Mg and Ca were positively correlated with most of the anthropometric measurements. For Fe, Zn and Cu, we found no correlation with any of the anthropometric measures. Differences in mean serum levels were found for Mg, with lower values in children with low weight-forage and triceps-skinfold-thickness, and for Cu, with higher levels in children with low triceps-skinfold-thickness. The red blood cell indices were positively associated with Fe and Zn levels. Conclusions: correlations between the serum level of micronutrients and anthropometric evaluation scores were found for Mg and Ca, but not for Fe and Zn, which were instead directly correlated with red blood cells indices. Mg, Fe and Zn tend to present small serum values in children with growth deficits. Considering the costs, the routine evaluation of Zn and Cu serum levels in growth disorder suspicion is not justified in our geographic area.</p></abstract>

Purpose: to evaluate the serum levels of micronutrients in children with nutritional disorders, and to find if there is a direct correlation between them and the anthropometric measurements. Materials and methods: the study was conducted on 125 children (0-18 years); the working group consisted in children with Z-score < -2 standard deviations for at least one anthropometric measurement, while the children without growth disorders were considered as controls. Thus, for each anthropometric measurement, we had different working/control groups that were used for the assessment of correlation with laboratory findings. We followed eight anthropometric parameters and their relation with five of the micronutrients (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu). Results: no statistical differences were found in micronutrients serum levels between genders or provenance. Most mean serum levels of micronutrients were lower in the children with Z-scores < -2 standard deviations (except Cu). Mg and Ca were positively correlated with most of the anthropometric measurements. For Fe, Zn and Cu, we found no correlation with any of the anthropometric measures. Differences in mean serum levels were found for Mg, with lower values in children with low weight-forage and triceps-skinfold-thickness, and for Cu, with higher levels in children with low triceps-skinfold-thickness. The red blood cell indices were positively associated with Fe and Zn levels. Conclusions: correlations between the serum level of micronutrients and anthropometric evaluation scores were found for Mg and Ca, but not for Fe and Zn, which were instead directly correlated with red blood cells indices. Mg, Fe and Zn tend to present small serum values in children with growth deficits. Considering the costs, the routine evaluation of Zn and Cu serum levels in growth disorder suspicion is not justified in our geographic area.

The relationship between micronutrients and anthropometric measurements in malnourished children /  Relaţia între micronutrienţi şi măsurătorile antropometrice la copiii malnutriţi

University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu-Mures, Romania; Pediatrics Clinic I, Emergency Clinical County Hospital Tirgu-Mures, Romania

Department of Microbiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu-Mures, Romania; Central laboratory, Clinical County Hospital of Tirgu-Mures, Romania

Revista Romana de Medicina de Laborator

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Purpose: to evaluate the serum levels of micronutrients in children with nutritional disorders, and to find if there is a direct correlation between them and...

The relationship between micronutrients and anthropometric measurements in malnourished children / Relaţia între micronutrienţi şi măsurătorile antropometrice la copiii malnutriţi

Published Online: Dec 30, 2014

Page range: 459 - 469

Received: Sep 01, 2014

Accepted: Nov 16, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0042

Keywords
micronutrients, growth deficits, nutritional deficiency, anthropometric measurements

© by Lidia Man

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The relationship between micronutrients and anthropometric measurements in malnourished children / Relaţia între micronutrienţi şi măsurătorile antropometrice la copiii malnutriţi

Published Online: Dec 30, 2014

Page range: 459 - 469

Received: Sep 01, 2014

Accepted: Nov 16, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm-2014-0042

Keywordsmicronutrients, growth deficits, nutritional deficiency, anthropometric measurements

© by Lidia Man

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
micronutrients, growth deficits, nutritional deficiency, anthropometric measurements