Nutritional status of children with heart disease attending outpatient clinic at a tertiary health center in Lagos

Abstract

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is a well-recognized complication of pediatric heart disease, resulting from increased metabolic demands, feeding difficulties, and recurrent illness. It contributes significantly to poor growth, impaired immunity, increased susceptibility to infections, and adverse clinical outcomes, including higher perioperative risk. Assessing nutritional status in this population is therefore essential for optimizing management and long-term prognosis. AIM To assess the nutritional status of children with heart disease attending an outpatient clinic in Lagos and compare it with that of healthy controls. METHODS This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2024 to August 2024 at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Seventy children aged 7-16 years with diagnosed heart disease were recruited and matched by age, sex, and socioeconomic status with 70 apparently healthy controls. Nutritional assessment included weight, height, and body mass index with indices expressed as World Health Organization Z-scores. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 10.5 ± 2.7 years, with a slight female predominance. Children with heart disease had significantly lower weight-for-age, height-for-age, and body mass index-for-age Z-scores compared to controls (P < 0.05). Overall, 48.6% of children with heart disease were malnourished vs 4.3% of controls. Within the heart disease group, poorer nutritional status appeared more common among children with complex or uncorrected lesions and those with frequent hospitalizations. CONCLUSION Children with heart disease had significantly poorer nutritional indices than their healthy peers, underscoring the need for routine nutritional assessment and targeted interventions. Early corrective surgery and proactive nutritional support may improve outcomes in this vulnerable group.