Short-term follow-up of the nutritional status of children undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

A prospective longitudinal study was conducted to analyze the evolution of the nutritional status of 34 children (12 girls and 22 boys), aged 1.5-15.8 years (median age 9.06) undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell t ransplantation (PBSCT). The nutritional status was evaluated at baseline, d ays +1 and +7, discharge; and day +30 by dietary or parenteral intake, anth ropometric and laboratory measurements, and nitrogen balance. At baseline, changes in anthropometric (53 %) and biochemical measurements (83%) are fre quent but mild. The mean caloric intake was normal. Children with normal va lues for the anthropometric parameters all had an intake >80% (p < .01). No correlation was found between the anthropometric and biochemical parameter s. During transplantation, significant changes (p < .001) were found for en ergy intake, albumin, transferrin, and nitrogen balance. Fibronectin, preal bumin, and retinol-binding protein showed only a few changes. All but preal bumin recovered on day +30. No correlation was found between the nutritiona l status and toxicity or infection in children undergoing autologus PBSCT T he changes in the nutritional status observed at the start of transplantati on correlated with the nutritional intake. Anthropometric and biochemical c hange are complementary. The results may be ascribable to the fact that the patients in this series had mild malnutrition.