title: Nutritional status of congenital heart disease (CHD) patients: Burden and determinant of malnutrition at university of Nigeria teaching hospital Ituku - Ozalla, Enugu.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are prone to malnutrition. This can have a significant effect on the outcome of surgery. Our objective was to determine the burden and determinant of malnutrition in children with several types of congenital heart disease (CHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive cross sectional study of children attending the outpatient clinic of UNTH, Ituku - Ozalla, Enugu State, over a six year period from March 2007 to April 2014. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 (Chicago IL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty thousand one hundred and twenty three (40,123) children attended the outpatient clinic during the study period. Of these, 50 had congenital heart disease, from which 46 were found to have various degree of malnutrition, giving a prevalence of 92% among children with congenital disease and 0.11% in the general population. Malnutrition showed significant correlation between age in years, age appropriate dietary adequacy and pulmonary hypertension. (r= 0.22, p = 0.01; r = 0.20, p = 0.02; r = 0.15, p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with CHD develop severe malnutrition and growth failure. The significant contributing factors are mean age at presentation and age appropriate dietary adequacy.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Ijeoma Arodiwe, MBBS, FMCPaed. Consultant Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ijeoma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arodiwe
authors.affiliation: Dr. Josephat Chinawa, MBBS, FMCPaed. Lecturer, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Josephat
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chinawa
authors.affiliation: Dr. Fortune Ujunwa, MBBS, FMCPaed. Consultant Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Fortune
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ujunwa
authors.affiliation: Dr. Dabere Adiele, MBBS, FWACP. Consultant Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Dabere
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adiele
authors.affiliation: Dr. Mildred Ukoha, MBBS, FWCP. Consultant Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics, Enugu State University Teaching Hospirtal, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Mildred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ukoha
authors.affiliation: Prof. Egbuna Obidike, MBBS, FMCPaed. Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Egbuna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Obidike
keywords: Congenital heart disease; Determinant; Malnutrition; Prevalence