Growth assessment of paediatric patients with CF comparing different auxologic indicators: A multicentre Italian study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate growth in Italian patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).


METHODS
A multicentre cross-sectional study was carried out on patients with CF attending Italian reference centres. Anthropometric data were evaluated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 reference data. Nutritional failure was defined as height-for-age percentile (HAP) <5th (all patients); weight-for-length percentile (WLP) <10th (patients <2 years); body mass index percentile (BMIp) <15th (patients between 2 and 18 years). The risk of malnutrition (defined as HAP, WLP, and BMIp <25th) and the proportion of patients below the "BMIp goal" (BMIp > or =50th) were also evaluated. Nutritional status was evaluated in the whole population and in relation to age, sex, pancreatic insufficiency, meconium ileus, and lung function.


RESULTS
A total of 892 patients with CF (50.7% males, mean age 9.2 years, range 0.1-18 years) were enrolled. The proportion of children with HAP <5th, WLP<10th and BMIp<15th was 12.2%. 12.9%, 20.9%, respectively, and 54.4% did not fulfill the BMIp > or =50th goal. HAP <25th identified the highest proportion of children at risk of malnutrition, whereas BMIp <15th identified the highest proportion of children with nutritional failure. Whatever the criterion used to define malnutrition, the highest proportion of children with nutritional failure was found in adolescence (11-18 years). z scores for height, weight, and BMI were significantly associated with pancreatic status and lung function. Differences among centres for the auxologic parameters were not significant, except for BMIp.


CONCLUSIONS
Nutritional failure is present in a minority of Italian patients with CF, particularly during adolescence. Different auxologic indicators should be used for identifying children at risk for or with actual malnutrition.
Lucidi
Vincenzina
V
Fondazione IRCCS, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
Alghisi
Federico
F
Raia
Valeria
V
Russo
Beatrice
B
Valmarana
Lauretta
L
Valmarana
Rossella
R
Coruzzo
Anna
A
Beschi
Stefano
S
Dester
Silvia
S
Rinaldi
Daniela
D
Maglieri
Marica
M
Guidotti
Maria L
ML
Ravaioli
Emanuela
E
Pesola
Marisa
M
De Alessandri
Alessandra
A
Padoan
Rita
R
Grynzich
Luigi
L
Ratclif
Luigi
L
Repetto
Teresa
T
Ambroni
Maura
M
Provenzano
Ettore
E
Tozzi
Alberto E
AE
Colombo
Carla
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk