Features of component body composition in children with infantile cerebral palsy

Relevance. Nutritional status disorders are common in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) and are caused by multiple factors related to the disease and its complications. They aggravate the underlying disease, reduce the quality of life, and decrease rehabilitation effectiveness. Objective. To study the body composition characteristics of children with CP using bioimpedance analysis. Materials and methods. Body composition parameters were studied to assess the nutritional status of 100 children with CP. Results. The study revealed significant differences in body composition in children with CP associated with nutritional deficiencies. Latent changes in body composition were detected in children without physical developmental delays. Follow-up after 12 months confirmed a progressive decrease in the active cell mass, lean body mass, and skeletal muscle mass in patients with CP. Conclusions. Children with cerebral palsy have been shown to have significant changes in body composition, including decreased muscle and fat mass, which progress over time even with normal anthropometric parameters.