The Impact of Weight Loss on the Nutritional Status of Pediatric Oncology Patients

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of weight loss on the nutritional status of oncologic pediatric patients admitted to a High Complexity Hospital in the North of Rio Grande do Sul. Methodology: This is a retrospective/prospective type study, based on secondary data with oncologic pediatric patients from 0 to 12 years old. The weight loss was evaluated according to time and percentage of weight loss and was classified according to Blackburn (1997). For the types of tumors, solid and hematological tumors were used as criteria, besides the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms and the treatment phase were evaluated. The nutritional status was evaluated through the Body Mass Index (BMI) for age. Results: 151 patients were evaluated, most of them male, 60.9% (n=92), and the diagnosis of solid tumors prevailed 64.2% (n=97) and in chemotherapy treatment 44.4% (n=67). Also, 58.9% (n=89) of the patients had no weight loss during treatment, 37.1% (n=56) had severe loss and 4% (n=6) of the patients had significant loss. The most frequent gastrointestinal symptoms were nausea 25.8% (n=39), vomiting 21.9% (n=33), inappetence 17.2% (26) and constipation 13.2% (n=20). Patients with adequate weight loss were found to be 43.2% (n=35). Yet, weight loss in patients with solid tumors was statistically significant 51.5% (n=50) with some gastrointestinal symptoms 59.7% (n=40). Conclusion: Weight loss influenced negatively the nutritional status of the patients, since even patients with adequate BMI/I lost weight.