Introduction
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by the intracellular protozoan
Leishmania donovani complex. VL may be asymptomatic or progressive and is characterized by
fever,
anemia,
weight loss and the enlargement of the
spleen and
liver. The
nutritional status of the
patients with VL is a major determinant of the progression, severity and
mortality of the
disease, as it
affects the
clinical progression of the
disease. Changes in
lipoproteins and
plasma proteins may have major impacts in the host during
infection. Thus, our
goal was evaluate the
serum total
cholesterol,
high-density lipoprotein (HDL),
low-density lipoprotein (LDL),
triglycerides,
glucose,
albumin,
globulin and total
protein levels, as well as the
body composition, of VL
patients before and
after treatment.
Methods Nutritional evaluation was performed using the
bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess
body composition. Biochemical data on the
serum total
cholesterol, HDL, LDL,
triglycerides,
glucose,
albumin,
globulin and total
protein were collected from the medical charts of the
patients. Results BIA indicated that both pre-
treatment and post-
treatment patients exhibited decreased phase angles compared to the controls, which is indicative of
disease. Prior to
treatment, the
patients exhibited lower levels of total
body water compared to the controls. Regarding the biochemical evaluation,
patients with active VL exhibited lower levels of total
cholesterol, HDL, LDL and
albumin and higher
triglyceride levels compared to
patients after treatment and the controls.
Treatment increased the levels of
albumin and
lipoproteins and decreased the
triglyceride levels. Conclusions Our results suggest that
patients with active VL present biochemical and nutritional changes that are reversed by
treatment. .