Malnutrition common in childhood interstitial lung diseases

A substantial proportion of children with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are malnourished, which is negatively associated with lung function and disease severity, according to a study.

Researchers used data from the child-EU registry and analysed 3,351 follow-up visits from 766 children. They collected anthropometric measurements, disease severity scores, pulmonary function tests, and treatment information. Malnutrition was defined as a weight-for-age (WFA) z-score of less than −2.

Analyses were performed using multivariable linear regression and longitudinal mixed-effects models, adjusted for potential confounders.

Malnutrition was present in 38.9 percent of children at baseline. Children with malnutrition had poorer lung function than their non-malnourished peers (p<0.001).

After controlling for factors including age, sex, prematurity, diagnostic category, and disease severity, malnutrition showed an independent associated with reduced lung function (z-score for forced expiratory volume at one second [zFEV1]: β −0.83, p=0.007; z-score for forced vital capacity [zFVC]: β −1.35, p<0.001).

Weight improvements over time (as assessed by z-scores for weight-for-age) correlated with favourable changes in lung function (zFEV1: β 0.33, p<0.001; zFVC: β 0.37, p<0.001).

The findings underscore the importance of routine nutritional monitoring and multidisciplinary care among children with ILD.