Purpose: To investigate associations between levels of blood parameters used to monitor liver-transplanted children with their salivary levels, and compare the salivary parameters of transplant recipients with those of healthy controls.
Methods: Saliva and blood samples from 30 liver transplanted recipients, mean age 11.7 years and saliva from age and sex matched 27 healthy patients were analyzed using a standard complete blood count test.
Results: Uric acid and alkaline phosphatase levels correlated significantly between saliva and blood samples in the transplanted subjects. Median salivary sodium level was significantly lower and the median salivary potassium level significantly higher in transplant recipients compared with healthy subjects. No differences were found between the groups in salivary glucose, urea, chloride, total protein, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), triglycerides, cholesterol, iron, transferrin, glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT).
Conclusion: Specific correlations of serum and salivary chemistry were found in liver transplant patients. Such information may lead to the development of noninvasive monitoring tools for this population.
Keywords: Diagnostics; Liver transplant; Pediatric patients; Saliva.