Nutritional outcomes in infants with food allergy after cardiac surgery

Food allergy is a rapidly growing public health concern because of its increasing prevalence, as well as life-threatening potential. There is limited knowledge on the nutritional status for the pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) patients with food allergy.

This study investigated both clinical and nutritional outcomes according to the CHD infants with food allergy.

Forty CHD infants with food allergy and 39 controls were recruited in Shanghai, China. The height and weight for age and weight for height were converted to z-scores to evaluate their effects on nutritional status before and after CHD operation.

Cow's milk showed the most frequently sensitized food allergen. The WHZ in the ≥2 allergen group was different before operation and after operation (P = .040). The number of sensitized food allergens significantly correlated with the WHZ (r = -0.431, P = .001), WAZ (r = -0.465, P = .000), and HAZ (r = -0.287, P = .025). Infection and NT-BNP showing negative correlation with WHZ and WAZ of infants with food allergy.

The increased number of sensitized food allergens is associated with negative effects on both short-term and long-term nutritional status in infants with CHD. Therefore, the meticulous and continuous evaluation and management of both growth and nutritional status should be considered in CHD patients with a high number of sensitized food allergens.