Anthropometry of the trunk and extremities in nutritional assessment of children with chronic renal failure

Abstract

Objective: Comparison of anthropometric parameters of the trunk and extremities between 2 groups of children with chronic renal failure (CRF) with different levels of nutritional status and healthy controls. Design: A prospective cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Physiology and Anthropology, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje. Patients: Twenty-one patients with a mean age of 10.5 ± 3.2 years (10 boys and 11 girls) with mild to moderate CRF were divided into well-nourished (chronic renal failure children [CRFC] I) and undernourished (CRFC II) children according to their nutritional status. The control group was 22 healthy children with a mean age of 10.7 ± 3.8 years (10 boys and 12 girls). Nutritional status of the children was assessed by comparing anthropometric parameters with National Center for Health Statistics references. Interventions: Anthropometry. Main Outcome Measurements: Body weight, height, sitting height, arm and leg length, knee height, chest circumference, midarm circumference, triceps skin-fold thickness, and upper arm muscle and fat area. Results: Mean sitting height, leg length, and chest circumference were significantly lower in both the CRFC I group (67.8 ± 3.5, 57.5 ± 4.2, and 53.0 ± 3.9 cm) and the CRFC II group (65.6 ± 2.2, 56.1 ± 4.1, and 50.6 ± 2.7 cm) compared with the healthy controls (72.5 ± 2.9, 61.3 ± 3.5, and 62.4 ± 4.1 cm, respectively). The highest significant correlations to height were for sitting height (r = +0.82, P <.05) and knee height (r = +0.72, P <.05) in CRFC I and for leg length (r = +0.74, P <.05) in CRFC II. There was no correlation between anthropometric parameters of the trunk and extremities and upper muscle and fat area in both groups of CRF children. Conclusion: The sitting height, knee height, and leg length can be used in nutritional and growth assessment when it is impossible to make a reliable measurement of height in CRF children. © 2002 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.