Urinary organic acids quantitated in a healthy north Indian pediatric population

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Pediatric Medicine
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Human urine reflects metabolic processes and contains various organic acids.
• Urinary organic acid concentrations vary significantly across populations due to genetic and environmental factors.
• Establishing reference values for pediatric urinary organic acids is vital for accurate clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify 16 specific organic acids in the urine of a healthy North Indian pediatric population.
• To establish age-wise mean values and standard deviations for these organic acids, adjusted for creatinine.
• To compare these values with existing data from other populations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of early morning urine samples from healthy children aged 1 day to 16 years.
• Extraction of organic acids using ethyl acetate, followed by derivatization to trimethylsilyl compounds.
• Quantification using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Main Results:

• Age-wise mean values and standard deviations for 16 urinary organic acids were determined, normalized to creatinine levels (mmol/mol of creatinine).
• The study observed higher concentrations of most measured organic acids in the North Indian pediatric population compared to other reported populations.
• Data provides specific reference ranges for this demographic.

Conclusions:

• The established reference values for urinary organic acids in North Indian children are higher than those reported in other populations.
• This data is essential for the accurate diagnosis of metabolic abnormalities in pediatric patients within this specific ethnic group.
• The findings highlight the importance of population-specific reference ranges in clinical diagnostics.