Growth Parameters in Children with Non-syndromic Cleft Lip and Palate versus Healthy Controls: A Cohort Study from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) can have an impact on the physical development of children; however, data from such studies is currently limited.

OBJECTIVES

To compare growth parameters between children with non-syndromic CLP and healthy controls in Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This case-control retrospective cohort study included Saudi children with CLP and age- and gender-matched healthy children (1:1) who attended a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Growth measurements (weight, length, and head circumference) were taken at the ages of 1 year and 2 years, and the Saudi Growth Chart was used as a reference data.

RESULTS

The study included 86 children in each group (N = 172), with 31.4% females and 68.6% males. The mean current age was 3.2 ± 1.7 years. Most patients had a unilateral CLP (96.5%). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that at the age of 1 year, compared with controls, patients with CLP had significantly lower weight (OR: 1.7, P = 0.026), weight standard deviation score (SDS) (OR: 0.4, P = 0.001), and head circumference SDS (OR: 0.8, P <0.001); however, these did not remain significant at the age of 2 years. In the early repair (age <1 year) and late repair (age ≥1 year) groups, 76.1% and 63.2% of the patients achieved catch-up growth.

CONCLUSION

This study found that Saudi children with cleft lip and palate had significantly lower weight and head circumference compared with healthy children in the first year of life, but catch-up growth in the second year of life, largely following surgical repair, rendered these differences to be insignificant.