Abstract
Home Artificial Nutrition (HAN) is a safe and efficacious technique that insures children’s reintegration into the family, society and school. Epidemiological data on paediatric HAN in Italy are not available. Aim: to detect the prevalence and incidence of Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) and Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN), either via tube or mouth, in Italy in 2016. Materials and methods: a specific form was sent to all registered SIGENP members and investigators of local HAN centres, inviting them to provide the requested centre’s data and demographics, underlying diseases and HAN characteristics of the patients. Results: we recorded 3403 Italian patients on HAN aged 0 to 19 years from 22 centres: 2277 HEN, 950 Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) and 179 HPN programs. The prevalence of HEN (205 pts/million inhabitants) and HPN (16 pts/million inhabitants) has dramatically increased in Italy in the last 9 years. Neurodisabling conditions were the first indication for HEN by tube or mouth while HPN is mainly requested in digestive disorders. Conclusions: HAN is a widespread and rapidly growing treatment in Italy, as well as in other European countries. Awareness of its extent and characteristics helps improving HAN service and patients’ quality of life.
Highlights
Home Artificial Nutrition (HAN) provides extra hospital nutritional support in patients affected by malnutrition due to impairment of natural food intake, either absolute or relative [1]
The existence of these teams and the availability of paediatric materials changed the approach to home nutritional care, that is no longer only reserved to patients with advanced diseases but can be offered to all children who need nutritional support and can receive it at home
Our data showed a steady increase of Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) and Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) and gave a first glance on the use of Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) in children affected by chronic diseases
Summary
Home Artificial Nutrition (HAN) provides extra hospital nutritional support in patients affected by malnutrition due to impairment of natural food intake, either absolute (children with neurodisabling conditions) or relative (children with organ failure requiring much more caloric intake than they autonomously can achieve or absorb) [1]. HAN contributes towards insuring the child’s reintegration into family, society and school, and improves the child’s psychological condition [2]. Such complex and technical treatments should be provided by properly trained specialists in dedicated centres, including multidisciplinary nutrition support teams [2,4]. We have recently published a survey involving only patients with Intestinal
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