Serum lipids useful indicator of malnutrition and inflammation in the elderly

20 November 2008



Measurements of serum lipids are useful markers of malnutrition and inflammation in elderly patients, show results published in the journal Nutrition.

Dana Hrnciarikova and colleagues from Charles University in Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic investigated the specific relationships of various serum lipids with inflammation and malnutrition in a group of 101 hospitalized elderly individuals aged 85.37 years on average.

Nine patients had inflammation, 29 patients had malnutrition, 33 patients had inflammation and malnutrition, and 30 had neither condition.

Causes of inflammation were severe pulmonary infection, urinary infection, cholangitis, and infected decubitus ulcers. Malnutrition was diagnosed based on below-threshold values for the Mini Nutritional Assessment, body mass index, serum proteins, and number of lymphocytes.

The investigators measured patients’ levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP), neopterin, and pre-albumin.

They found a significant negative correlation between levels of the inflammatory marker CRP and total and LDL cholesterol. In addition, measures of the non-protein positive bioindicator of inflammation, urinary neopterin correlated negatively with total and HDL cholesterol.

Of note, triglyceride levels were not affected by inflammation in these individuals.

A positive interaction between pre-albumin, a biomarker used for evaluation of acute protein malnutrition, and total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, was also recorded.

The team concludes: “Total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL can be considered negative acute-phase reactants in geriatric patients in the case of inflammation and, due to their close relation to pre-albumin, significant biomarkers of malnutrition.”

Nutrition 2008; Advance online publication