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Fetuin-A serum concentrations in healthy children

Marianne Wigger1, Jan Schaible, Jutta Muscheites

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University Children's Hospital Rostock, University of Rostock, Germany.

Annals of Clinical Biochemistry
|September 5, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Serum fetuin-A levels are consistent across healthy children and adolescents, independent of age and gender. These findings establish crucial reference ranges for pediatric populations, aiding in cardiovascular risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular Biomarkers
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Serum fetuin-A is a recognized risk marker for myocardial infarction and stroke in adults.
  • It is also linked to vascular calcifications in chronic kidney disease patients.
  • Lack of age- and gender-specific reference values for fetuin-A in children and adolescents hinders clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish age- and gender-related reference values for serum fetuin-A concentrations in a healthy pediatric population.
  • To determine if serum fetuin-A levels vary with age or gender in children and adolescents.

Main Methods:

  • Serum fetuin-A concentrations were measured in 246 healthy children and adolescents using an ELISA kit.
  • Subjects were stratified into five age groups (<1, 1-5, 6-11, 12-15, and ≥16 years).
  • Serum protein and albumin were also measured; gender distribution was equal across age cohorts.

Main Results:

  • Serum fetuin-A concentrations were normally distributed within all age cohorts.
  • Fetuin-A levels were found to be independent of both age and gender.
  • The reference range (mean ± 1.96 SD) for serum fetuin-A was determined to be 0.22-0.70 g/L.

Conclusions:

  • Serum fetuin-A concentrations are consistent and do not vary significantly with age or gender in healthy pediatric individuals.
  • The established reference ranges are comparable to those found in adults using the same assay.
  • These findings provide essential data for the clinical assessment of cardiovascular risk in pediatric patients.
Abstract

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