Xanturenuria in child malnutrition

Abstract

Today, it is an undeniable fact that in our childhood malnutrition is a serious problem , both for its high incidence , such as the high morbidity and lethality indices she carries . Given the evidence that malnutrition in our child population is due generally to a reduced calorie , low-protein and multi- vitamin deficiencies (3) (34) (43) (53) diet , we wanted to focus on one aspect of the vitamin metabolism, trying xanturenuria to point out that in this syndrome would demonstrate a probable pyridoxine deficiency . This vitamin plays an important role in the metabolism of tryptophan , participating in its active form as pyridoxal -5- phosphate in the degradation of tryptophan to nicotinic acid. Pyridoxine deficiency leads to arrest this degradation appearing in the urine excessive xanthurenic acid normally found only in small amounts.