[Impact of motor impairment and oro-gastric issues on the growth of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy].

Introduction: children and adolescents (CA) with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience growth difficulties and gastric issues depending on their functional involvement. Objective: to determine the association between oro-gastric disorders, functional classifications, and anthropometric parameters in CA with CP aged 1 to 18 years in Argentina. Methods: observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study. A sequential sampling was performed. Age, nutritional status, oro-gastric disorders, gross motor function (GMFCS), and eating and drinking skills (EDACS) were analyzed. Nutritional status was assessed using the WHO Anthro Plus software (OMS 2007). Mann-Whitney and t-tests were conducted. Multiple logistic regression models (MLR) were used. Variables with p < 0.05 in the bivariate analysis were included in the MLR models. Results: data from 199 participants were collected. A statistically significant difference was observed in the z-scores for P/E,T/E, and BMI/E in CA with orogastric problems and more severe functional impairments. For P/E, those with more severe EDACS levels had 8.77 [2.5; 30.5] times higher chances of being underweight (p = 0.001) and 3.36 [1.0; 10.5] times higher chances for GMFCS (IV-V) (p = 0.03). For T/E, those with more severe involvement in GMFCS (IV-V) and EDACS (IV-V) had 2.63 [1.0; 6.8] (p = 0.04) and 7.93 [2.8; 21.9] (p ≤ 0.001) times higher chances of experiencing stunting, respectively. Conclusion: CA with CP who present oro-gastric disorders and severe levels in functional classifications have greater growth impairment, with higher chances of presenting stunting and underweight.