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Bioelectrical Impedance Phase Angle as an Indicator of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Children with Diagnosed
Paweł Więch1, Mariusz Dąbrowski2,3, Dariusz Bazaliński4
1Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszów, 35959 Rzeszów, Poland. p.k.wiech@gmail.com.
Insights
Phase angle (PhA) effectively identifies malnutrition risk in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Hospitalized IBD patients show significantly lower PhA and poorer body composition compared to healthy peers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Nutritional Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects children and adolescents, impacting nutritional status.
- Malnutrition risk assessment is crucial for hospitalized pediatric IBD patients.
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and phase angle (PhA) have not been extensively evaluated in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess body composition and nutritional status in hospitalized children and adolescents with IBD.
- To evaluate the utility of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and phase angle (PhA) in identifying malnutrition risk.
- To compare PhA and body composition parameters between IBD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 59 children and adolescents (4-18 years) with IBD (34 ulcerative colitis, 25 Crohn's disease) and matched healthy controls.
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was performed on all participants.
- Phase angle (PhA) was calculated from BIA measurements to assess body composition and nutritional status.
Main Results:
- IBD patients exhibited significantly lower PhA compared to healthy controls (Ulcerative Colitis: p=0.040; Crohn's Disease: p=0.009).
- Significant alterations in body composition parameters, particularly fat-free mass, were observed in Crohn's disease patients.
- Lower PhA scores correlated with poorer body composition and nutritional indicators in pediatric IBD patients.
Conclusions:
- Phase angle (PhA) is a valuable screening tool for identifying malnutrition risk in hospitalized children with IBD.
- Pediatric IBD patients demonstrate compromised nutritional and functional status compared to healthy children.
- BIA-derived PhA offers a non-invasive method to assess body composition and nutritional status in pediatric IBD.
Abstract:
The phase angle (PhA) seems to be a reliable screening tool for the identification of malnutrition risk in hospitalized children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the present study was to assess the body composition and nutritional status of hospitalized children and adolescents with IBD by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) with phase angle (PhA) calculation, which has not been evaluated in hospitalized children with IBD yet. A total of 59 children and adolescents aged 4–18 years, with IBD: 34 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 25 Crohn’s disease (CD) were included in the study. The control group consisted of healthy children and adolescents, strictly matched for gender and age in a 1:1 case-control manner. In both groups, BIA was performed and PhA was calculated. IBD patients had significantly lower PhA (UC: 5.34 ± 1.34 vs. 5.96 ± 0.76, p = 0.040; CD: 5.16 ± 1.18 vs. 5.90 ± 0.62, p = 0.009) compared to the control subjects. Significant changes in selected body composition parameters were observed particularly in CD, especially in fat free mass components. Lower phase angle score together with lower body composition parameters and selected nutrition indicators in children and adolescents with IBD demonstrate their worse nutritional and functional status compared to healthy subjects.
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