Background: Malnutrition and vitamin D deficiency is a frequent complication in children with chronic cholestatic disorders. Objective: This study aimed to assess nutritional status and serum level of vitamin D in children with chronic cholestasis. Methods: Forty infants and children (1–6 years) with cholestatic liver diseases were enrolled from the Pediatric Hepatology Department, Cairo University Children's Hospital. Nutritional history, anthropometric measurements [including weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and triceps skin fold (TSF)] and serum vitamin D were assessed. Vitamin D was correlated with liver functions. Assessment of nutritional status was performed using subjective nutritional global assessment (SGA) and nutritional risk screening tool STRONGkids.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 2.7 ± 1.67 and 67.5% were males. The most frequent diagnosis was biliary atresia (42.5%) followed by cholestasis with normal GGT (32.5%) then cholestasis with high GGT (25%). Although, all patients were on regular doses of oral vitamin D, the number of vitamin D deficient patients was 13 (32.5%). Vitamin D is not correlated with liver functions. Anthropometric measurements showed that TSF was the most accurate parameter to detect malnutrition (77.5% of patients were below fifth percentile). About 47 and 72 % of the patients had malnutrition according to SGA and STRONGKids respectively.
Conclusion: Malnutrition and vitamin D deficiency are common among cholestatic children despite regular oral supplementations. MUAC and TSF are effective applied anthropometric measures for nutritional assessment. Vitamin D is not correlated to the liver functions.