EARLY FEEDING OF AN ENERGY DENSE DIET DURING ACUTE SHIGELLOSIS ENHANCES GROWTH IN MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

In a controlled clinical trial, we examined the effect of the short-te rm feeding of an energy-dense milk cereal formula in malnourished chil dren with Clinically severe dysentery due to acute shigellosis. Sevent y-five malnourished children, aged 12-48 mo, passing blood or blood wi th mucous in the stool for less than or equal to 96 h, were offered a hospital diet. In addition, study children (n = 36) were offered a mil k-cereal formula with an energy of 5 kJ/g (an 11% protein diet); simil arly, control children (n = 39) were offered a milk-cereal formula wit h an energy content of 2.5 kJ/g (an 11% protein diet). Patients were a dmitted to the metabolic ward of the Clinical Research and Service Cen tre, Dhaka, at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Researc h, Bangladesh. Patients were studied for 10 hospital days and were the n followed up at home after 30 d. After 10 d of dietary intervention, children in the study group had a significantly greater increase vs. c ontrols in weight-for-age (6 vs. 3%, P < 0.001) and in weight-for-heig ht (7 vs, 3%, P < 0.001). Serum prealbumin concentrations were signifi cantly higher (study vs. control) after 5 d (0.214 vs. 0.170 g/L, P = 0.01) and after 10 d (0.244 vs. 0.193 g/L, P = 0.006) of the study. Gr eater weight-for-age was sustained at home 1 mo after discharge (8 vs. 5%, P = 0.005) from the hospital. Similarly, higher weight-for-height was sustained 1 mo after discharge (8 vs, 5%, P = 0.01). During their stay at home, there was no dietary intervention, The results of this study suggest that short-term feeding of an energy-dense diet enhances growth in malnourished children with acute dysentery due to shigellos is.