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Feeding problems, growth and nutritional status in children with cerebral palsy
Magnus Odin Dahlseng1, Ane-Kristine Finbråten, Pétur B Júlíusson
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. magnusodin86@gmail.com
Insights
Feeding problems are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), with many experiencing undernourishment and poor growth. Gastrostomy tube feeding may be delayed for some children with CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Cerebral Palsy Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts a child's ability to feed, potentially leading to nutritional deficits.
- Understanding the prevalence of feeding and nutritional issues in children with CP is crucial for early intervention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of feeding and nutritional problems in a cohort of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway.
Main Methods:
- Data were collected from the Norwegian CP Register for 661 children (368 boys) born between 1996 and 2003.
- Nutritional status was assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI) for children with available height and weight data (born 1999-2003).
Main Results:
- 21% of children with CP required full feeding assistance; 14% utilized gastrostomy tube feeding.
- Only 63% had a normal BMI, with 7% exhibiting grade 3 thinness and 16% being overweight or obese.
- 20% of children showed weight and/or height z-scores below -2 SD, indicating undernourishment and poor linear growth.
Conclusions:
- Feeding difficulties are prevalent in children with CP and correlate with impaired linear growth.
- A significant proportion of children with CP are undernourished, highlighting the need for timely nutritional support.
- The study suggests that the initiation of gastrostomy tube feeding might be delayed in some cases, impacting nutritional outcomes.
Aim:
The aim was to estimate the prevalence of feeding and nutritional problems in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway.
Methods:
Data were abstracted from the Norwegian CP Register for 661 (368 boys) children born 1996-2003 (mean age 6 years 7 months; SD: 1.5). For children born from 1999 to 2003, weight and height were available. Body mass index (BMI) (kg/m(2)) was used to assess nutritional status.
Results:
One hundred and thirty-two (21%) children with CP were completely dependent on assistance during feeding. The prevalence of gastrostomy tube feeding was 14%. Longer duration of gastrostomy tube feeding was associated with higher weight and BMI, but not with height. Only 63% of the children with CP had normal BMI, 7% had grade 3 thinness, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity in our study was 16%. In all, 20% of the children had mean z-scores for weight and/or height below - 2 SD.
Conclusion:
Feeding problems in children with CP were common and associated with poor linear growth. A high proportion of the children were undernourished. Moreover, our results suggest that gastrostomy tube feeding may have been introduced too late in some children.
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