title: Insufficient Body Weight of Adults Born With Esophageal Atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impaired growth has been reported in children born with esophageal atresia (EA). Their nutritional fate at adulthood remains uncertain though. Our objectives were to determine the body mass index (BMI) of adult patients with EA followed up from 2009 to 2011 in the EA clinic of a university-affiliated hospital in Quebec (Canada), and investigate characteristics associated with underweight.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 40 adult patients with EA attending the clinic were invited to participate. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Patients with BMI < 18.5 kg/m were deemed underweight. Patients' characteristics were obtained, including digestive symptoms and compensatory eating behaviors. Nonparametric tests were used to compare the proportion of underweight among patients with EA with that found in the Quebec population and the characteristics between patients with EA deemed underweight and those with BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final sample included 16 women and 21 men, ages 18 to 44 years. Mean BMI was 21.3 ± 4.9 kg/m and 24.3% had BMI < 18.5 kg/m, which is higher than in the Quebec adult population (2.5%, P < 0.001). Compared with patients with EA having BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m, underweight patients had more often experienced failure to thrive during their adolescence (55.6% vs 7.4%, P = 0.006), and reported severe postprandial fullness (62.5% vs 21.4%, P = 0.040), the need to eat slowly (87.5% vs 46.4%; P = 0.045), and severe difficulties to swallow dry solid foods (50.0% vs 14.3%, P = 0.054).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Insufficient body weight is prevalent in this sample of adult patients with EA and could result from digestive symptoms. Follow-up with a gastroenterologist and nutritional counseling should be considered for adult patients with EA.
authors: *Département de Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine †Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal ‡Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal §Service de gastroentérologie, Hôpital St-Luc, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: Nancy
authors: N
authors: Presse
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Taillefer
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Maynard
authors: Mickael
authors: M
authors: Bouin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002170:Canada; D004933:Esophageal Atresia / Q000150:complications*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011792:Quebec; D013851:Thinness / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult