title: Nutritional assessment and intervention in children with cerebral palsy: a practical approach.
abstract: Cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with the presence of feeding disorders in almost 60% of the affected children with subsequent undernutrition reported in up to 46% of the subjects. Since undernutrition may have a detrimental impact on physical and cognitive development, the introduction of an adequate nutritional support should always be considered in children with neurological impairment. The aim of the present review is to provide a practical guide to the assessment of nutritional status in children with CP, in order to identify individuals at risk for malnutrition that need the introduction of an adequate and personalized nutritional support. This review summarizes the methods for the evaluation of oral-motor function, anthropometric parameters, body composition and energy balance in children with CP. Moreover, we reviewed the indications for the introduction of nutritional support, and the suggested modalities of intervention.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Translational Medical Sciences - Section of Paediatrics , University of Naples "Federico II" , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarpato
authors.affiliation: a Department of Translational Medical Sciences - Section of Paediatrics , University of Naples "Federico II" , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Staiano
authors.affiliation: b Child Psychopathology Unit , Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) "Eugenio Medea" , Lecco , Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molteni
authors.affiliation: a Department of Translational Medical Sciences - Section of Paediatrics , University of Naples "Federico II" , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Terrone
authors.affiliation: c Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health , University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS "Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico" , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazzocchi
authors.affiliation: c Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health , University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS "Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico" , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agostoni
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000178:diet therapy*; D004032:Diet; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status
keywords: Neurologically impaired children; anthropometry; enteral nutrition; nutritional support