Note: [] Correspondence: Mohammed Al Biltagi, Pediatric Department,
Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt. Tel.: +20 102209797; Fax: +20
402213543; E-mail: mbelrem@hotmail.com
Abstract: The aim was to evaluate the serum leptin level in children with
protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) with and without pneumonia. The study
included 60 children; 20 were controls, 20 had PEM without infection and 20 had
PEM and pneumonia. They were subjected to nutritional assessments; serum leptin
level, haemoglobin concentration, white-blood cell (WBC) count, CD4%, serum
albumin, blood glucose, blood urea-nitrogen, and serum ferritin, and chest
x-ray. Serum leptin levels were independently associated with pneumonia on
multivariate analysis. In addition, serum leptin level and CD4% were
significantly lower in the groups with PEM and pneumonia than in the group with
PEM without pneumonia (p< 0.001). Low serum leptin levels were associated
with pneumonia in children with protein energy malnutrition.
