ABSTRACT
Background: Identification of children at risk of malnutrition is not easily achieved in hospital settings.
Aims: To assess the merits of using the Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional status and Growth (STRONG kids) as a nutrition screening tool in hospitalized children aged < 3 years and correlate it with the severity of their nutritional derangements.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 children aged < 3 years admitted to the Childrens Hospital, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. STRONG kids score was used to assess the risk for nutritional derangements and World Health Organization growth charts were used to define underweight, wasted and stunted patients upon admission and discharge.
Results: According to STRONGkids score, 19.6% of patients were low risk, 42.6% were moderate risk and 37.8% were high risk. Out of the enrolled patients, 62.4% were underweight, 58.4% were stunted and 57.8% were wasted. Among the 66 patients with severe wasting, nutritional status improved in 6.06% while deterioration was observed in 13.0% of the moderately wasted patients. STRONGkids score was worse among those who deteriorated, which together with its significant positive correlation with the duration of hospital stay, emphasized that STRONGkids score can be a predictive tool.
Conclusions: The use of STRONGkids screening tool can ensure early identification of children vulnerable to malnutrition, ensuring prompt interventions that may contribute to overall improvements in patient care, as well as shortening hospitalization period
ABSTRACT
Background: There has been growing recognition of the critical extra-skeletal roles for vitamin D including lung disease.
Aims: This study was performed to explore the possible role of vitamin D on wheezing occurrence among Kuwaiti preschool children.
Methods: Out of 244 children from Al-Adan Hospital, Kuwait, 151 cases were enrolled as wheezers while the rest served as controls. The wheezers were subdivided into episodic wheezers [EW] and multiple trigger wheezers [MTW]. Detailed history of the wheezing attacks, previous hospitalizations, and intensive care admission were recorded as well as their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25[OH]D] levels.
Results: Serum 25[OH]D was significantly lower in the wheezing group, and its decrease was a risk factor for wheezing. Moreover, serum 25[OH]D was not significantly different between EW and MTW; nevertheless, its low level could be linked to MTW.
Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of wheezing among preschoolers in Kuwait. A possible link between low serum 25[OH]D and MTW could highlight a specific role for vitamin D in relation to atopy. Prevention and prompt management of vitamin D deficiency should be considered among infants and children with wheezing