RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND SEVERITY OF CEREBRAL PALSY: A MULTICENTRE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Nutritional problems are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the relation-ship between nutritional status and the severity of CP is unclear.Objective: To describe the nutritional status and characteristics of children with CP, and to explore the relationship between severity of CP and nutri-tional status in children.Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study included children with CP in China. Weight and height were measured and converted to z-scores. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS), Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA), social life ability, and blood indicators were tested. Results: All 1,151 participants were given oral -fee-ding and 50.8% of them demonstrated undernutri-tion. Compared with those in GMFCS or EDACS levels I-III, the odds of moderate and severe undernutrition were 2.6 and 8.9 times higher in GMFCS levels IV and V, and 4.3 and 12.6 times hig-her in EDACS levels IV and V, respectively. Except for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, no significant dif-ferences were found in blood indicators among nor-mal, undernourished and overnourished groups.Conclusion: Degrees of undernutrition in children with CP are correlated with the severity of eating and drinking dysfunction and with gross motor impairment. Blood indicators may not reflect nutri-tional status in children with CP.