Use of bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) in children with alterations of body water distribution.

Validation studies of bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) were performed in children with obesity, Duchenne muscle dystrophy and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. BIA allowed an accurate assessment of total body water in all groups (CV from 4.1 to 5.1%). However, the prediction of extracellular water by BIA was not always satisfactory (CV from 8.5 to 12.5%), being better in the groups of children with the lowest variability in body water distribution.