RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSCLE POTASSIUM AND TOTAL BODY POTASSIUM IN INFANTS WITH MALNUTRITION

Specimens of muscle were obtained with a biopsy needle from 23 Jamaican children who were recovering from malnutrition. The samples were analyzed for water, fat, nitrogen, and potassium; total body potassium was also measured. Muscle water is increased, but potassium concentration declines in malnutrition. A significant relationship exists between the depletions of muscle potassium and of total body potassium in malnourished infants. Analysis of muscle biopsy samples may lead to a better understanding of the response of tissue to protein depletion at the cellular level. © 1969 The C. V. Mosby Company.