Acute phase proteins in children with protein-calorie malnutrition.

The serum concentrations of the acute phase proteins, C-reactive protein, caeruloplasmin and haptoglobin were significantly higher in children with protein-calorie malnutrition than in age-matched controls, while the concentrations of alpha1 antitrypsin, alpha2 macroglobulin, transferrin and complement component C3 were significantly lower. During rehabilitation and treatment with antibiotics, C-reactive protein disappeared from the serum in most of the patients whilst the levels of caeruloplasmin and haptoglobin returned to normal values. On the other hand the serum concentration of alpha1 antitrypsin, alpha2 macroglobulin, transferrin and C3 showed significant increases. It is suggested that C-reactive protein and haptoglobin may provide useful indices of the presence or absence of infection in children with malnutrition.