[Validation of fast nutritional scoring. Application to 80 cases of "homing" diarrhea]

Pediatricians often have to assess the nutritional status of their patients from unprecise anamnestic information, unreliable clinical signs or biological data difficult to interpret. None of these parameters can be used alone to establish the nutritional status of a sick child. The validity of a simple and rapid nutritional score was tested. The score consisted of 3 anthropometric parameters (weight, height, triceps skinfold) and 4 biological analyses frequently used in pediatric practice (albumin, transferrin, alkaline phosphatase and ferritin serum determinations). The usefulness of the score was established through the important nutritional deficiencies observed in 80 children admitted for "homing diarrhea" requiring early nutritional support.