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Nutritional factors and growth in children with sickle cell disease
A C Finan1, M A Elmer, S R Sasanow
1Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
Insights
Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) show lower nutrient levels, but poor growth isn't solely due to nutrition. Further research is needed to understand growth impairment in pediatric SCD patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Nutritional Science
- Growth and Development
Background:
- Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder associated with various complications, including growth impairment in children.
- Nutritional status is a critical factor influencing growth, and its role in SCD-related growth failure requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential nutritional deficiencies and their correlation with growth status in preadolescent children with sickle cell disease (SCD).
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 20 growth-retarded (GR) and 20 growth-normal (GN) preadolescent children with SCD, matched for key characteristics.
- A control group of 10 normal children was included for comparison.
- Serum levels of various nutrients (retinol, retinol-binding protein, prealbumin, zinc) and other growth-related factors (somatomedin C, bone age) were measured.
Main Results:
- Children with SCD exhibited significantly lower mean serum levels of retinol, retinol-binding protein, prealbumin, and zinc compared to normal children.
- Serum retinol and prealbumin levels were comparable between GR and GN SCD groups.
- Serum retinol-binding protein was lower in the GR SCD group compared to the GN SCD group.
- Abnormalities in serum zinc, somatomedin C, and bone age were observed in SCD patients but did not correlate with growth status.
Conclusions:
- While children with SCD show evidence of nutritional deficiencies, these factors alone do not fully explain the observed poor growth.
- The study highlights the complex interplay of factors contributing to growth retardation in pediatric SCD, suggesting that nutritional status is not the sole determinant.
Abstract:
A study of growth and nutrition was conducted with 20 growth-retarded (GR) and 20 growth-normal (GN) preadolescent children with sickle cell disease (SCD). All children were matched for age, sex, hemoglobin disorder, and hematologic values. Ten normal children served as control subjects. Mean serum levels of retinol, retinol-binding protein, prealbumin, and zinc were significantly lower in the children with SCD than in normal children. Mean serum retinol and prealbumin levels were similar in the GR and GN sickle cell groups. Mean serum retinol-binding protein levels were lower in GR than in GN patients. Serum zinc levels, somatomedin C levels, and bone age were frequently abnormal in the patients with SCD, but these factors did not correlate with growth status. It was not possible to explain the poor growth in patients with SCD in this study solely on the basis of nutritional factors.