Copeptin and albumin in children with undernutrition.
- 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Abstract
Background
Anthropometric assessment remains the cornerstone of the identification and classification of pediatric undernutrition, whereas the role of laboratory biomarkers is less well established.Objective
To evaluate serum copeptin in children with undernutrition and to compare its discriminatory performance with that of serum albumin.Methods
This single-center cross-sectional case-control study included children aged 1 month to 18 years with undernutrition and healthy controls recruited from the same clinical setting. Serum copeptin concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Age-stratified and sensitivity analyses were also conducted.Results
A total of 98 children were included: 44 with undernutrition and 54 healthy controls. Serum copeptin concentrations were significantly higher and serum albumin concentrations were significantly lower in children with undernutrition than in healthy controls (both p < 0.001). In ROC analysis, copeptin yielded an area under the curve of 0.729 (95% CI 0.622-0.835), whereas albumin yielded an area under the curve of 0.726 (95% CI 0.618-0.833), with no significant difference between the two ROC curves (DeLong p = 0.977). In multivariable analysis adjusted for age and sex, both copeptin and albumin remained independently associated with undernutrition. A combined copeptin-albumin model showed higher discrimination within the study sample.Conclusion
Serum copeptin is elevated in children with undernutrition. Although it does not outperform albumin as a standalone biomarker, it may provide complementary information when interpreted alongside albumin.
Related
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- Addressing the burden and associated factors of undernutrition in under-five children with congenital heart disease in Pakistan: evidence from a multicenter cross-sectional study
- Prevalence and predictors of undernutrition among preschool children (3 to 5 years) in Nigerian semi-urban community: conventional anthropometric indices versus composite index of anthropometric failure approach.
- Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among orphan and vulnerable children in East Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BibTeX
@article{hatipoglu2026copeptin,
title = {{Copeptin and albumin in children with undernutrition.}},
author = {Halil Uğur Hatipoğlu and Ahsen Güler and Murat Elevli},
journal = {Frontiers in pediatrics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fped.2026.1902840},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909084},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Copeptin and albumin in children with undernutrition.
AU - Halil Uğur Hatipoğlu
AU - Ahsen Güler
AU - Murat Elevli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in pediatrics
DO - 10.3389/fped.2026.1902840
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909084
AB - Background Anthropometric assessment remains the cornerstone of the identification and classification of pediatric undernutrition, whereas the role of laboratory biomarkers is less well established.Objective To evaluate serum copeptin in children with undernutrition and to compare its discriminatory performance with that of serum albumin.Methods This single-center cross-sectional case-control study included children aged 1 month to 18 years with undernutrition and healthy controls recruited from the same clinical setting. Serum copeptin concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Age-stratified and sensitivity analyses were also conducted.Results A total of 98 children were included: 44 with undernutrition and 54 healthy controls. Serum copeptin concentrations were significantly higher and serum albumin concentrations were significantly lower in children with undernutrition than in healthy controls (both p < 0.001). In ROC analysis, copeptin yielded an area under the curve of 0.729 (95% CI 0.622-0.835), whereas albumin yielded an area under the curve of 0.726 (95% CI 0.618-0.833), with no significant difference between the two ROC curves (DeLong p = 0.977). In multivariable analysis adjusted for age and sex, both copeptin and albumin remained independently associated with undernutrition. A combined copeptin-albumin model showed higher discrimination within the study sample.Conclusion Serum copeptin is elevated in children with undernutrition. Although it does not outperform albumin as a standalone biomarker, it may provide complementary information when interpreted alongside albumin.
SN - 2296-2360
ER -