Effect of Nutritional Intervention During the Sars-Cov2 Pandemic in Pediatric Patients with Cystic Fibrosis in Mexico

Abstract

Coronavirus 2, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, has affected various areas of population health. Because of the risk associated with morbimortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), it is necessary to maintain and control medical and nutritional treatment, which may be compromised in times of adversity.

Methods: Prospective observational study, whose objective was to identify nutritional evolution of paediatrics CF patients by anthropometry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anthropometric data of patients from the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic of the Children’s Hospital of Mexico were taken and recorded from the beginning of the pandemic (December 2019) until December 2021. During the lockdown period; medical-nutritional follow-up, enzymatic and pharmacological support, was on-site visits at the clinic, in contrast with others CF care centers who used telemedicine during the pandemic.

Results: Data from 54 patients was recollected during the time of the study. In the first period, in 2020, 30 patients were evaluated. In the second period, in 2021, 22 of the first period were re-evaluated, losing the follow-up of 8 patients and 24 new patients were evaluated. Comparing the data of the 2 periods significant differences in z score of BMI and height-age were identified in those patients who received nutritional follow-up during the two periods, in addition patients without dietitian’s advice during the COVID-19 pandemic had more prevalence of short stature. Patients meeting the target BMI and MUAC z score, presented median to strong positive correlation (0.68) for those patients with a MUAC z score greater than -1.47.