Malnutrition in Paediatrics: Stationary Screening & Follow-up.

OBJECTIVE

The prevalence and follow-up of the clinical real-world data focussing on existing or risk of malnutrition in a tertiary hospital general paediatric ward including 4 months of follow-up was assessed.

METHODS

Measurements included anthropometric measurements, a nutrition interview and an extended version of the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP). R Studio 3.4.2 was used for statistical analysis and diagnosing malnutrition by calculating height-for-age (HfAz)-, weight-for-age (WfAz)- weight-for-height (WfHz)-, body mass index-for-age (BMIz) and mid-upper-arm circumference (MUACz)-z-scores with the childsds package with KIGGS and WHO for reference.

RESULTS

The median age of the 68 participants was 8.00 (4.00-13.00) years. The main reasons for hospitalisation in the tertiary centre were gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes mellitus and rheumatic diseases. At admission 39.71%, at the second examination 36.00% and at the third examination 45.90% were malnourished. 68% of inpatients lost weight during their clinical stay, of which 35.29% lost more than 3% of their initial weight. However, changes were not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

A significant share of patients was diagnosed to be malnourished at admission, the majority of patients lost weight during their hospital stay and the 4 months after admission. Due to the far reaching consequences for patients, doctors, health insurance and politics, the early diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition should take greater account in the future.