Amount and rate of disappearance of liver fat in malnourished infants in Jamaica.

The fat content of the liver has been measured in 163 biopsy specimens taken from 95 malnourished children in Jamaica within a few days of admission to hospital and at various stages of recovery. The fat content was also measured in 38 samples from children who died. Severe degrees of fatty infiltration, up to 50% of the wet weight, were found. Fatty liver of this degree of severity may be a cause of death. The increase in fat was accompanied by an increase in water content. This may be the result of breakdown in the energy-dependent regulation of water content. Repeat biopsies were done within 6 weeks of admission in 26 children. The average rate of clearance of fat expressed as a fraction of the amount present at any time was 5.5% per day. An attempt was made by more frequent biopsies to determine whether the rate of decrease was influenced by the protein content of the diet, but the results were inconclusive.