title: Nutritional status and growth in Korean children with Crohn's disease: a single-center study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malnutrition and growth retardation are important issues in treating pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of various nutritional and growth parameters at the time of diagnosis in Korean children with CD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one children (<18 years) were enrolled. We analyzed the Z-scores of height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), body mass index for age (BMIZ), bone mineral density for age (BMDZ), and the biochemical markers measured at the time of diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At diagnosis, HAZ <-2 was observed in three patients (4%), WHZ <-2 in 20 patients (28%), BMIZ <-2 in 19 patients (27%), and BMDZ <-2 in 11 patients (18%). The HAZ was significantly lower in females and patients with extraintestinal manifestations, and the WHZ and BMIZ were significantly lower in patients with stricturing and penetrating disease. Subnormal serum levels were highly prevalent for hemoglobin, albumin, iron, ferritin, calcium, magnesium, folate, vitamin B12, and zinc. There was a significant correlation between nutritional status, growth retardation, and disease activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal nutritional status was highly prevalent in Korean children with CD at the time of diagnosis and was associated with the extent, behavior, and activity of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seak Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Mo
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D002648:Child; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Bone density; Crohn’s disease; Growth disorder; Malnutrition; Pediatrics