Abstract
Improving approaches to the diagnosis of nutritional disorders in children has great scientific and practical importance. This study examines the possibilities of using the Mid-Upper-Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening tool for nutritional status assessment in clinical practice. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of MUAC screening tool for nutritional status assessment in children with neurological disorders. Patients and methods. This study included 309 children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy and congenital anomalies of the central nervous system aged 5 to 15 years (mean age: 9.8 ± 3.6 years) who were treated in a multidisciplinary hospital. Among them, there were 190 (61.5%) boys and 119 (38.5%) girls. Physical development was assessed using the WHO AnthroPlus software and compared with MUAC tape measurements. During data processing, sensitivity and specificity indices were calculated. Results. Among the examined patients, malnutrition (BMI-for-age Z-score <-2) was detected in 39 (12.6%) children, according to MUAC tape measurements – in 72 (23.3%) children. When evaluating the efficacy of MUAC screening tool in diagnosing malnutrition in children (Z-score <-2), sensitivity was 94.9% and specificity was 81.1%. Conclusion. The prevalence of malnutrition among children aged 5 to 15 years detected by the MUAC tape was higher compared to the results obtained through the WHO AnthroPlus software. The MUAC approach is characterized by high levels of both specificity and sensitivity. More research is needed to expand the scope of MUAC tape application in pediatric practice. Key words: children, overweight, neurological disorders, malnutrition, nutritional status, MUAC
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