Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Am J Hum Biol. 2014 Jul-Aug;26(4):523-9. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22558. Epub 2014 May 12.
There is increasing interest in the epidemiology of immune activation among young children because of the links with mortality and growth. We hypothesized that infant and child inflammation, as measured by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), would be associated with household assets, household size, measures of sanitation, and food insecurity. We also hypothesized that children in the poorest households and with elevated CRP would show evidence of growth faltering.
A nationally representative cross-sectional study of Tanzania children 6-59 months of age. Survey data, anthropometrics, and dried blood spots were available for 1,387 children. Measures of elevated CRP (CRP ≥ 1.1 mg/l) were used to assess inflammation.
Fifty-four percent of the sample had CRP ≥ 1.1 mg/l. In bivariate analyses, several measures of sanitation were associated with elevated CRP but in multiple regression models only age, sex, literacy, maternal reports of illness, household size, and living in the wealthiest households predicted CRP. There were no associations between elevated CRP and any measure of child growth.
Among children in Tanzania, a single elevated CRP does not predict poor growth functioning. Elevated CRP is associated with individual, caretaker, household, and community-level variables. Future work should strive to measure local biologies in more nuanced ways.
由于免疫激活与死亡率和生长有关，因此人们对幼儿免疫激活的流行病学越来越感兴趣。我们假设，通过升高 C 反应蛋白（CRP）测量的婴儿和儿童炎症与家庭资产、家庭规模、卫生措施和粮食不安全有关。我们还假设，最贫困家庭和 CRP 升高的儿童会出现生长迟缓的迹象。
坦桑尼亚一项具有全国代表性的 6-59 月龄儿童横断面研究。对 1387 名儿童进行了调查数据、人体测量学和干血斑检查。使用升高的 CRP（CRP≥1.1mg/l）来评估炎症。
54%的样本 CRP≥1.1mg/l。在单变量分析中，几种卫生措施与 CRP 升高有关，但在多变量回归模型中，只有年龄、性别、文化程度、母亲报告的疾病、家庭规模和生活在最富裕的家庭中能预测 CRP。CRP 升高与任何儿童生长指标均无关联。
在坦桑尼亚的儿童中，单一升高的 CRP 并不能预测生长功能不良。CRP 升高与个体、照顾者、家庭和社区层面的变量有关。未来的工作应努力以更细致的方式测量当地的生物学指标。
