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Serum leptin in disabled and non-disabled children in an Indian slum population

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 967–972 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To assess the concentration of serum leptin in a population of malnourished children and to compare the leptin levels of disabled and non-disabled children in this population.

Design: Case–control study.

Subjects: Eighty-one children, comprising 41 children with mixed disabilities and 40 non-disabled controls, were selected from 425 children involved in a case–control study assessing the nutritional status of children with disabilities in an Indian slum population.

Methods: Leptin was measured in the serum samples and was compared with anthropometry (weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ), height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ), weight-for-height Z-scores (WHZ), body mass index (BMI), mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC), sub-scapular skinfold thickness and triceps skinfold thickness) and serum acute phase proteins.

Results: The children were very malnourished with WAZ=−2.07 (s.d. 1.15), HAZ=−2.15 (s.d. 1.85) and WHZ=−1.07 (s.d. 0.83). Leptin was extremely low in both the disabled (1.44 ng/ml; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.23–1.69) and the non-disabled (1.19 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.04–1.35) children. There were no differences between the disabled and non-disabled groups as a whole but 15 children with neurological disabilities had significantly higher (P<0.05) serum leptin (1.65 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.29–2.06) than the non-disabled children. Girls (1.55 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.29–1.87) had significantly higher concentrations of leptin than boys (1.11 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.02–1.22; P=0.002). Leptin did not correlate with any biochemical or anthropometric measures.

Conclusions: In this population, where malnutrition was common, serum leptin levels were very low and did not correlate with anthropometry.

Sponsorship: UK Department for International Development; Virgin Airways through the Great Ormond Street Hospital Trustees.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Sheila Wirz for supervising the fieldwork and Richard Beesley and Abigail Woodfin for technical assistance. The authors would also like to thank Ishwar Tayade and his team, the staff of the Mumbai Diagnostic Centre and the Family Diagnostics Clinic for assistance with blood collections. This work was undertaken in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust which receives a proportion of its funding from the NHS Executive.

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Author notes

  1. SM Filteau: Guarantor: SM Filteau.

  2. AC Freeman, AK Yousafzai, SM Filteau and M Pai: Contributors: ACF conducted the laboratory work and drafted the paper. AKY conducted the fieldwork and contributed to the paper. SMF supervised the project. MP provided local support for the fieldwork.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for International Child Health, Institute of Child Health, London, UK

    AC Freeman, AK Yousafzai & SM Filteau

  2. National Centre for Inclusion, Mumbai, India

    M Pai

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  1. AC Freeman
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  2. AK Yousafzai
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Correspondence to SM Filteau.

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Freeman, A., Yousafzai, A., Filteau, S. et al. Serum leptin in disabled and non-disabled children in an Indian slum population. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 967–972 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601418

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