Diurnal serum triglyceride levels of children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas

Abstract

Summary 1. Diurnal serum lipid variations of 9 children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and of 7 children with presumably normal pancreatic function as controls have been studied in relation to mixed diets before and during the administration of pancreatic extract. Serum triglycerides, phospholipid, and cholesterol concentrations were determined at intervals of 4 hours for periods of 24 hours. 2. Little or no variations in the diurnal serum cholesterol and phospholipid patterns were observed in the two groups of children. In the control and diseased children, the mean serum cholesterol concentrations were 175 and 124 mg. per cent, respectively, and the phospholipids were 180 and 165 mg. per cent, respectively. 3. The diurnal serum triglyceride curves of children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas differed from those of the children in the control group in the following ways: (1) little or no postprandial rise, (2) a moderate dip in the early hours of fasting, and (3) a slight rise with prolonged fasting. 4. Significant but modest postprandial increases in the serum triglyceride levels were observed in 6 of 9 children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas during the administration of Viokase. 5. Despite the naturally imposed restriction of fat by children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, none of the patients in this series had a neutral fat hyperlipemia. The mean fasting serum triglyceride concentration of the patients was essentially the same as that of the children in the control group. 6. The possibility of an association between the low diurnal serum triglyceride levels and the decreased incidence of aortic atherosclerosis in children with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas is a subject for speculation and further correlative studies.