Abstract
OBJECTIVESTo assess the food intake pattern and the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy. METHODSCross-sectional study with 90 children from two to 12.8 years with cerebral palsy in the following forms: hemiplegia, diplegia, and tetraplegia. Nutritional status was assessed by weight, height, and age data. Food intake was verified by the 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaire. The ability to chew and/or swallowing, intestinal habits, and physical activity were also evaluated. RESULTSFor 2-3 year-old age group, the mean energy intake followed the recommended range; in 4-6 year-old age group with hemiplegia and tetraplegia, energy intake was below the recommended limits. All children presented low intake of carbohydrates, adequate intake of proteins and high intake of lipids. The tetraplegia group had a higher prevalence of chewing (41%) and swallowing (12.8%) difficulties compared to 14.5 and 6.6% of children with hemiplegia, respectively. Most children of all groups had a daily intestinal habit. All children presented mild physical activity, while moderate activity was not practiced by any child of the tetraplegia group, which had a significantly lower height/age Z score than those with hemiplegia (-2.14 versus -1.05; p=0.003). CONCLUSIONSThe children with cerebral palsy presented inadequate dietary pattern and impaired nutritional status, with special compromise of height. Tetraplegia imposes difficulties regarding chewing/swallowing and moderate physical activity practice.
Highlights
Cerebral palsy (CP), called non-progressive static encephalopathy, is the set of non-progressive brain disorders caused by brain injury that occurred during fetal life or in the first years of life[1]
Among the 90 children, 54% were classified with hemiplegia, 43% with tetraplegia, and 3% with diplegia
The percentage of total energy coming from macronutrients showed that for the group as a whole, there was a dietary pattern low in carbohydrates (52%), adequate in protein (53%), and high in lipids (43%)
Summary
Cerebral palsy (CP), called non-progressive static encephalopathy, is the set of non-progressive brain disorders caused by brain injury that occurred during fetal life or in the first years of life[1]. The diagnosis is wideranging and depends on the severity of the topographic distribution (affected members), clinical history, and motor dysfunction[2]. A number of other symptoms may be associated to motor disorders: mental retardation, epilepsy, hearing, language, ocular/visual, and behavior disorders [3]. According to Rotta[4], the child with CP presents lower weight, and lower resistance to infections. Studies documented association between chewing and swallowing problems and nutritional impairment[5,6,7]. The chronic changes in swallowing can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration, and pneumonia[8]
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