Circulating gonadotropin profile in severe cases of protein calorie malnutrition.

The circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and prolactin (PRL) were studied in children of both sexes between 2 and 14 years of age who were suffering from severe protein calorie malnutrition (PCM), namely, kwashiorkor, marasmic kwashiorkor, and marasmus. LH and FSH levels in all the age groups and in all forms of PCM were found to be significantly lowered, thereby explaining the possible delay in the onset of puberty in these children. Circulating PRL levels, on the other hand, were significantly raised in all patients with PCM studied, with values in children with kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor higher than in children with marasmus, possibly accounting for the presence of edema in the former cases. The present work, therefore, proposes a possible correlation between gonadotropin levels and PCM in children.