Specific serum amino-acid profiles of trauma and septic children

Abstract

Sepsis and trauma are states that lead to altered amino-acid metabolism. This study was designed to investigate whether trauma and sepsis induce specific changes in the serum amino-acid profiles of children. We studied the serum amino-acid levels in 15 septic and in 15 trauma children, aged from 1 month to 12 years at the time of admission to hospital. We also studied 15 healthy children paired by age. Sepsis and trauma induced similar changes in serum amino-acids. Only tyrosine, tryptophan, total amino-acids and total non-essential amino-acids were higher in trauma than in septic patients. In both groups, branched chain amino-acids, glutamine, glutamate, taurine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and ornithine were increased in relation to control values. Cystine and histidine were found in lower concentrations in injured and infected children when compared to the concentrations in the healthy group. Total amino-acids, total essential amino-acids, the phenylalanine to tyrosine ratio and the Whitehead index [20] were found to be increased in both sepsis and trauma. In conclusion, these two pathological situations induce comparable serum amino-acid profiles in children.