Nutritional screening in children with cerebral palsy in Tanta University Hospitals

Background Cerebral palsy (CP) in children can lead to malnutrition due to growth hormone dysregulation, muscle spasticity, and feeding difficulties, which can worsen CP limitations and lead to multiple negative impacts on general health. Aim To screen the nutritional status of children with CP at the University Hospitals. Patients and methods This cross-sectional observational study included 100 CP children of both sexes, aged less than 17 years old, who attended the Pediatric Clinical Nutrition and Neurology Clinics at the University Hospitals. They underwent a comprehensive medical history, which included a detailed feeding history, a thorough clinical examination, and an assessment of their anthropometric measurements. Results Lack of weight gain for 2–3 months was the most common indicator of feeding and swallowing difficulties (74%), followed by stressful mealtimes with caregivers (61%). The main gastrointestinal tract comorbidity was dysphagia (40%). The median daily water, energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and fiber intakes as percentages of the recommended dietary allowance were 45, 66, 76, 67, 78, and 19%, respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition was 24% for wasting (6% severe) based on the Gomez classification and 93% for stunting (57% severe) based on the Waterlow classification. Conclusion Most of the studied CP patients had red flags indicating feeding and swallowing difficulties. They consumed less water, calories, and macronutrients than the recommended dietary allowances for their ages. In addition, they had varied degrees of malnutrition.