Field evaluation of two biochemical tests which may reflect nutritional status in three areas of Uganda

Abstract

1. Serum amino acid ratios and urinary hydroxyproline indices have been studied in three groups of children from different parts of Uganda. The results of these biochemical investigations are compared with clinical assessments and anthropometric measurements made at the same time.2. In Buganda, an area where protein deficiency is prevalent, a high incidence of both abnormal hydroxyproline indices and amino acid ratios was found. In Karamoja, where a drought had caused a widespread shortage of food, the hydroxyproline indices were particularly low but the amino acid ratios were relatively normal. In Bukedi the dietary pattern was changing and becoming more like that in Buganda; this was reflected by the biochemical results obtained which were similar in the two areas.3. The biochemical results confirmed earlier investigations, carried out in more severely ill children in a metabolic ward, which had indicated that these two tests can differentiate between primary protein deficiency and total calorie deficiency.4. The biochemical tests confirmed the anthropometric measurements in a quantitative way, and also indicated the reason for the nutritional difficulties which could otherwise only have been surmised from the food habits of the area.