Body composition in pediatric patients

Undernutrition is highly prevalent in children who are critically ill and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, including a higher risk of infection due to transitory immunological disorders, inadequate wound healing, reduced gut function, longer dependency on mechanical ventilation, and longer hospital stays compared with eutrophic children who are critically ill. Nutrition care studies have proposed that early interventions targeting nutrition assessment can prevent or minimize the complications of undernutrition. Stress promotes an acute inflammatory response mediated by cytokines, resulting in increased basal metabolism and nitrogen excretion and leading to muscle loss and changes in body composition. Therefore, the inclusion of body composition assessment is important in the evaluation of these patients because, in addition to the nutrition aspect, body composition seems to predict clinical prognosis. Several techniques can be used to assess body composition, such as arm measurements, calf circumference, grip strength, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and imaging examinations, including computed tomography and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. This review of available evidence suggests that arm measurements seem to be well-established in assessing body composition in children who are critically ill, and that bioelectrical impedance analysis with phase angle, handgrip strength, calf circumference and ultrasound seem to be promising in this evaluation. However, further robust studies based on scientific evidence are necessary.