title: Nutritional survey of hospitalized pediatric patients.
abstract: A nutrition survey in a pediatric referral center revealed one-third of patients had evidence of acute malnutrition. Weight for height was below 90% of standard in 46 of 129 (36%), arm muscle area was below the 15th percentile in 67 of 180 (37%), triceps skinfold was below the 15th percentile in 34 of 181 (19%), and total lymphocyte count was below 1500 in 26 of 137 (19%) subjects. Protein-energy malnutrition may be an important contributor to prolonged hospitalization and hospital-acquired morbidity amond United States pediatric patients.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008231:Lymphopenia / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*