Abstract
During another investigation on the lipoids of the plasma in children, it was observed in several instances that values for lecithin, cholesterol and total fatty acids were all markedly influenced by acute infections. Although the literature revealed the fact that cholesterol has previously been found to be lowered in certain acute infectious diseases 1 , 2 and in tuberculosis, 3 , 4 little is actually known regarding the significance of this change and practically no information is available regarding the effect of infection on the lecithin and total fatty acid levels in the blood.
The various lipoid fractions have been determined by the methods of Bloor 5 , 6 , 7 in 15 children with various acute infections, first at the height of the disease and again after recovery. To ascertain the influence of fever per se as against that of the other effects of infection, determinations were made before, during and after the artificial production of fever, in one case of dystonia progressiva deformans by use of phenylethylhydantoin and in one case of chronic arthritis by diathermy. Determinations were also made before, during and after high fever on 2 occasions in each of 3 congenitally syphilitic children, who were inoculated with plasmodia malariae as a therapeutic measure. No particular attention was given to the factor of diet in the first 7 cases with acute infection, but in the other 13 cases studied a standard diet was given several days before and throughout the entire period of observation. The diet contained adequate amounts of vitamins and water and 2 gm. each of protein and fat and 5 gm. of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight. The 15 cases with acute infection were distributed as follows: Uncomplicated pneumonia, 6; pneumonia complicated by mastoiditis, otitis media or empyema, 3; uncomplicated acute tonsillitis and nasopharyngitis, 3, and one each of acute appendicitis, acute otitis media and acute rheumatic fever.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.