Evaluación nutricional del paciente pediátrico hospitalizado

Abstract

ABSTRACT A nutritional survey was conducted in order to establish the prevalence of malnutrion in patients from die 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 (WJ, height (H), arm circumference (AC) and triceps skinfold (TS). These values were expresed as % of the reference standard forage (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 but at the time of the study only 19% were in this range. Sixty seven % of medical and 66% ot 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% ot'surgical patients whith 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 surgical patients presented T.S. below 90% of the standard. We analyzed the weight change of children under two years and related it to die 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 prevalence of mar-asmic energy protein malnu­trition. The length of hospitalization relates to a deterioration ot nutritional status. Patients present predominantly signs of depletion ot the tat and muscle compartments