Clinical characteristics and nutritional status of children with Crohn's disease and risk factors for malnutrition

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the nutritional status of children with Crohn's Disease (CD) at diagnosis and its association with clinical characteristics.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data and nutritional status of 118 children with CD who were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2016 to January 2024. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for malnutrition.Results A total of 118 children with CD were included, among whom there were 68 boys (57.6%) and 50 girls (42.4%), with a mean age of (11±4) years. Clinical symptoms mainly included recurrent abdominal pain (73.7%, 87/118), diarrhea (37.3%, 44/118), and hematochezia (32.2%, 38/118), and 63.6% (75/118) of the children had weight loss at diagnosis. The incidence rate of malnutrition was 63.6% (75/118), and the children with moderate or severe malnutrition accounted for 67% (50/75). There were 50 children (42.4%) with emaciation, 8 (6.8%) with growth retardation, and 9 (7.6%) with overweight or obesity. Measurement of nutritional indices showed a reduction in serum albumin in 83 children (70.3%), anemia in 74 children (62.7%), and a reduction in 25 hydroxyvitamin D in 15 children (60%, 15/25). The children with malnutrition had significantly higher disease activity, proportion of children with intestinal stenosis, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a significant reduction in serum albumin (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intestinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for malnutrition in children with CD (OR=4.416, P<0.05).Conclusions There is a high incidence rate of malnutrition in children with CD at diagnosis, which is associated with disease activity and disease behavior. The nutritional status of children with CD should be closely monitored.