Open Access

ARTICLE

Nutritional outcomes in infants with food allergy after cardiac surgery

Wen-Yi Luo¹, Zhuo-Ming Xu¹, Li Hong², Qian-Yue Wu¹, Yue-Yue Zhang¹

1 Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai, China
2 Nutrition Department, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai, China

* Corresponding Author: Zhuo-Ming Xu, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre, 1678 Dongfang Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 200127, China. Email:

Congenital Heart Disease 2017, 12(6), 777-782. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12489

Abstract

Background: Food allergy is a rapidly growing public health concern because of its increasing prevalence, as well as life-threatening potential. There is limited knowledge on the nutritional status for the pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) patients with food allergy.
Objective: This study investigated both clinical and nutritional outcomes according to the CHD infants with food allergy.
Methods: Forty CHD infants with food allergy and 39 controls were recruited in Shanghai, China. The height and weight for age and weight for height were converted to z-scores to evaluate their effects on nutritional status before and after CHD operation.
Results: Cow’s milk showed the most frequently sensitized food allergen. The WHZ in the ≥2 allergen group was different before operation and after operation (P = .040). The number of sensitized food allergens significantly correlated with the WHZ (r = -0.431, P = .001), WAZ (r = -0.465, P = .000), and HAZ (r = -0.287, P = .025). Infection and NT-BNP showing negative correlation with WHZ and WAZ of infants with food allergy.
Conclusions: The increased number of sensitized food allergens is associated with negative effects on both short-term and long-term nutritional status in infants with CHD. Therefore, the meticulous and continuous evaluation and management of both growth and nutritional status should be considered in CHD patients with a high number of sensitized food allergens.

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Keywords

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