67 NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF PATIENTS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL. I ANTROPOMETRIC ASPECTS

Abstract

A nutritional survey was conducted in order to establish the prevalence of malnutrition in patients from the medical and surgical wards. Data on anthropometric indicators of nutritional status were obtained on admission and at the time of the study. They included weight (W), Height (H), Arm Circumference (AC)and triceps skinfold (TS).These values were expresed as % of the re ference standard for age (A) (NCHS-USA). The study included 215 patients whose ages ranged from 2 months to 16 years, 58 were surgical and 157 medical patients; 113 were males and 102 females On admission 25% were of normal W/A butatthe time of the study only 19% were in this range. Sixty seven% of medical and 66% of surgical patients had a W/A less than 90% and 29% had low H/A in both groups.The W/H was diminished in 42% of medical and in 15% of surgical patients with a female predominance of low W/H. A.C. was below normal in 65% of medical and in 43% of surgical patient Seventy three% of medical and 71% of surgical patients presented T.S. below 90% of the standard.We analyzed the weight change of children under two years and related it to the lenght of hospitalization finding that 72% of patients were losing weight and the rest were gaining at rates below the expected for their ages. Based on this results we can conclude that there is a high prevalecence of marasmic energy protein malnutrition. The lengh of hospitalization relates to a deterioration of nutritional status. Patients present predominantly signs of depletion of the fat and muscle compartments.