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Body composition changes with time in pediatric burn patients

Rene Przkora1, Robert E Barrow, Marc G Jeschke

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Texas, USA.

The Journal of Trauma
|May 12, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Severely burned children show significant improvements in body composition, including lean mass and bone mineral content, during the second year post-injury. This highlights the critical need for extended rehabilitation programs for pediatric burn survivors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care
  • Metabolic response to injury
  • Burn rehabilitation

Background:

  • Major trauma and burns induce prolonged whole-body catabolism, potentially lasting over a year.
  • Pediatric burn injuries significantly impact long-term body composition and metabolic function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate longitudinal changes in body composition and metabolic markers in pediatric patients following severe burns.
  • To assess recovery trajectories for up to two years after a burn injury.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 25 pediatric patients with >40% total body surface area burns was studied.
  • Measurements included height, weight, body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), and various serum hormones (growth hormone, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormones) at multiple time points up to 24 months post-burn.
  • Statistical analysis was performed using Tukey's test with significance accepted at p < 0.05.

Main Results:

  • Significant increases in lean body mass, fat mass, bone mineral content, height, and weight were observed during the second year post-burn.
  • Resting energy expenditure (REE) significantly decreased, while IGFBP-3 and parathyroid hormone levels significantly increased over time.
  • Insulin and T3 uptake were significantly elevated at discharge.

Conclusions:

  • Body composition in severely burned children demonstrates significant improvement in the second year compared to the first year after injury.
  • These findings underscore the necessity for comprehensive, long-term rehabilitation strategies for pediatric burn survivors to optimize recovery.
Abstract

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