Study serum levels of liver enzymes in children below 6 years old with under nutrition at Pediatric Ward of the Imam Ali Hospital in Province Zahedan, South- East of Iran: A case-control study.

Introduction: Malnutrition underlies 45% of child deaths globally. Several studies have highlighted increases in serum liver enzymes in patients with extreme malnutrition, but few studies are available to investigate the serum liver enzymes in children with under nutrition (UN). So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between UN and liver enzymes in children under the age of 6 years. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the Imam Ali Hospital in Zahedan in children below 6 years old. Case group was diagnosed UN according to weight for age (Z-Score <-2SD) and the controls determined based on weight for age (Z-Score > -2SD) classification of WHO 2006 growth standards. After recording of demographic characteristics, blood was taken and serum isolated in two groups. Liver enzymes including; AST, ALP, ALT were measured by Spectrophotometric method (Pars Azmun Kit). Data was analyzed by SPSS; 21. Results: A total of 145 subjects were enrolled which consisted of 74 cases (39 boys and 35 girls) and 71 controls (46 boys and 25 girls). Although the values of the liver parameters, including AST, ALT and Alp, were not significantly different between the two groups, they were increased higher than the standard.It was observed significant correlation between AST and ALT (r = 0.74, P = 0.000),AST and ALP ( r= 0.27, P= 0.03) and betweenBody weight (BW) wit age (r = 0.946, P = 0.000). Conclusion: The results showed that there was no significant difference in liver markers between the two groups based on age and sex. However, different degrees of malnutrition, including mild, moderate, and severe, probably change the levels of hepatic enzymes in the under nourished children.

Keywords:

Under nutrition , Enzymes , Alanine Aminotransferase , Aspartate aminotransferase , Alkaline phosphatase