The objective was to evaluate the nutritional metabolic profiles in children and adolescents with cancer undergoing bone marrow transplants. Eighteen bone marrow transplantation patients were prospectively evaluated from October 2003 to August 2004. The assessment was based on the biochemical blood analyses of albumin, lipids and glucose at 3 different moments: before the bone marrow transplant, 7 days after the bone marrow transplant and 14 days after the bone marrow transplant. The Friedman test was performed to compare the distributions between the periods and the Mann' Whitney test to compare differences in the evolution between the bone marrow transplant groups: autologous versus allogeneic. Fifteen of the 18 patients were eligible: seven had leukemia, four lymphoma and four germ cell tumors. The mean age of the 15 patients was 10.7±7.1 years. Nine received autologous and six allogeneic-related bone marrow transplants; two used cyclosporin A as an immunosuppressor and three total body irradiation as part of the conditioning regimen. Thirteen of the 15 received parenteral nutrition. The length of stay was 33±14 days. The prevalence of albumin and HDL-C deficits increased progressively during follow up: 15%, 31% and 46% and 54%, 69% and 85%, respectively. The same result was observed with the glucose and triglyceride levels, showing a progressive increase in the prevalence of abnormalities during bone marrow transplantation, with values of 7%, 43% and 50% and 31%, 69% and 77%, respectively. Total cholesterol and LDL-C levels above the normal were only observed in one patient at the first moment (before the bone marrow transplant). The analysis of the evolution of the variables during the three periods demonstrated that the HDL-C, glucose and triglyceride levels changed significantly. No statistically significant differences were observed when comparing patients submitted to allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplants. However, changes in the HDL-C and triglyceride levels were more accentuated in patients submitted to allogeneic bone marrow transplants. The results suggested that metabolic and biochemical changes occur during the period of bone marrow transplantation. These changes are probably multi-factorial, being associated with nutritional deficits, protein catabolism and disturbances in the energy metabolism. It is probable that malnutrition, the use of parenteral nutrition, as well as the inflammatory response to and toxicity of the drugs applied are implicated as causal factors of these abnormalities.
child; adolescent; lipoproteins; triglycerides; bone marrow transplantation
