Investigation of Body Composition Indices and Functional Outcome Questionnaires in Children with Spinal Cord Disorders.

STUDY

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Spinal cord disorders (SCD) in children are rare, but effects on body composition and functional outcomes can be significant. Little is known about bone health and pediatric SCD experiences. We therefore aimed to describe bone health and body composition following pediatric SCD, and characterize the condition based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Framework.

SETTING

The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

METHODS

Ten participants with SCD were recruited into a study exploring musculoskeletal outcomes. Whole-body dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans for musculoskeletal and body composition analysis, and pain, activity, and participation questionnaires were administered.

RESULTS

Body composition measured by DXA revealed lean tissue indices were decreased, and fat tissue indices were increased for all participants compared to age-matched controls. The centiles (mean ± SD) for Lean Mass Index and Appendicular Lean Mass Index for the whole cohort were 14 ± 25 and 8 ± 13, respectively, while the total cohort Fat Mass Index and Trunk/Appendicular Fat Mass Ratio centiles were 61 ± 31 and 69 ± 34, respectively. Bone mineral density levels at the spine were unchanged but decreased at the hip for all participants (Mean Z-score: -2.2 ± 1.0). Weight-bearing status influenced functional outcomes, with weight-bearing children tending to report higher levels of pain, activity and participation than non-weight-bearing children.

CONCLUSIONS

We report novel body composition data and functional outcomes in children with SCD. This study provides a useful overview of the experiences of children with SCD at the Royal Children's Hospital, but larger scale studies are needed to generalize the results.