It seems to be very important to establish the concept of nutritional assessment for the severely handicapped. The purpose of this study was to measure the values of the rapid turnover proteins (RTP) [prealbumin (PA), retinol binding protein (RBP) and transfelin (TF)] and the complements (CH50) for 52 severely handicapped who were institutionalized in an asylum.
The following results were obtained:
1. The mean values of RBP and CH50 at the first and second measurements for the subjects were lower (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively) than those of the control.
2. The mean values of PA and RBP for the subjects who were very retarded in the physical movement were lower (p<0.02 and p<0.05, respectively) than those of the other subjects.
3. These results suggest that RTP is very sensitive to the restriction of either protein or energy and can be used to detect subclinical malnutrition and monitor the effectiveness of dietary treatment for the handicapped.