AI Article Synopsis

  • Pediatric burn patients are at a higher risk for excessive weight gain during their reconstructive recovery, though the reasons behind this are not fully understood.
  • A study of 1533 pediatric burn patients revealed that 16.3% were classified as overweight and 24.1% as obese, rates that exceed those found in the general U.S. population according to national health data.
  • Racial disparities were noted, with black patients showing higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to white patients, highlighting the need for weight management as part of their rehabilitation process.

Article Abstract

Pediatric burn patients are predisposed to excessive weight gain in the reconstructive period, but the cause is unclear. An overweight (OW) or obese (OB) condition is associated with numerous health risks, decreased physical function, and increased morbidity. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of OW status in reconstructive, pediatric burn patients with the prevalence in the US population. The authors reviewed the records of 1533 pediatric patients, >1 year from acute burn, admitted for an elective reconstructive procedure. Body mass index between 85th and 95th percentile, according to the National Center for Health Statistics for 2000 growth charts, was classified as OW, and body mass index >95th percentile was classified as OB. Frequency of OW and OB and racial disparity was calculated as a percentage of total patients and compared with pediatric data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999 to 2006, a nationally representative sample. The rate of OW and OB was 16.3 and 24.1%, respectively, in the authors' pediatric burn population. White patients had OW and OB rates of 15.9 and 23.6%, respectively, compared with 18.2 and 30.2%, respectively, in black patients. All OW and OB rates were outside the 95% confidence interval of the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey population. The rates of OW and OB in pediatric reconstructive burn patients exceed the US population standard across age and race stratifications. The prevention and treatment of excessive weight gain should be a component of rehabilitation in pediatric burns.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181db52efDOI Listing

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