Serum iron, zinc, copper and bromine in malnourished children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

We measured the serum concentration of iron, zinc, copper and bromine in fifty malnourished children and twenty one healthy controls using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The mean ages for the study group and controls were 27.06 and 29 months respectively. The mean weights of the study and control groups were 7.32 and 12.05 +/- 3.07 kilogrammes respectively. The serum iron, zinc, copper and bromine mean levels in the study and control groups were Fe 14.6 (9.9) Zn 12.5 (11.9) Cu 16.5 (21.2) and Br 59.1 (63.0) micromoles per litre. Analysis of variance between the study group and controls showed a significant fall in copper levels even when adjusted for age sex and weight differences (F = 4.6586 p < 0.05). The wide distribution of concentrations of Iron noted in the malnourished children is probably due to haemolysis and rapid catabolism. The role of bromine in nutrition is yet to be established.