The urinary sulfur/creatinine ratio in the assessment of protein nutritional status.

ABSTRACT

The urinary sulfur/creatinine ratio and urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio of Thai soldiers and schoolchildren from Nakhon Nayok, 100 km northeast of Bangkok, the Lam-takong resettlement area and the Kohn Kaen resettlement and irrigation area northeast of Thailand were determined. As reference group healthy children from the University school in Khon Kaen were selected. The urinary urea N/creatinine ratio was significantly lower for the children from Nakhon Nayok, the Lam-takong resettlement and the Khon Kaen resettlement and irrigation area when compared with the reference group. The ratio values of the soldiers was significantly lower than the ratio of every group of children. The urinary sulfur/creatinine ratio for the children in Nakhon Nayok was lower and for the children in the Lam-takong and Khon Kaen resettlements were significantly lower than the ratio of the reference group. For the reference group the normal range for urea N/creatinine ratio was between 4.8 and 14.5 and for sulfur/creatinine ratio between 0.40 and 1.40.