Serum Amino Acids in Kwashiorkor

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Abstract
A method for the estimation of serum amino acids, using only 1 ml. of serum and providing information on twelve amino acids, is described. Applied to children admitted for the treatment of kwashiorkor, the method confirmed that in the acute stage of the illness there is a large reduction in indispensable amino acids, although dispensable amino acids may be kept at a high level. The imbalance between the two groups disappeared when treatment was successful. The imbalance was also found in children who showed few of the accepted signs of kwashiorkor, except growth failure. The correction of the imbalance may be an important step in the promotion, by therapeutic diets, of the rapid synthesis of proteins.