Nutritional status and tissue composition in children after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) is currently widely used for solid tumors, leukemia and autoimmune diseases therapy. Complications in post-transplant period, as well as specific therapy of these complications lead to nutritional status changes, which worsen post-transplant period and influence of outcome. To analyze nutritional status and tissue composition characteristics and determine the value of bioimpedance methods for complex examination of nutritional status in children after HSCT are the goal of this study. Changes in nutritional status and tissue composition of 34 children during HSCT due to various malignant and non-malignant diseases were analyzed. Bioimpedance measurements and somatometry was used to assess tissue composition. Significant worsening of nutritional status, skeletal muscle mass loss with a relatively stable adipose tissue to day +100 has been shown. A significant decrease of active cell mass and phase angle in all study phases were revealed. A high correlation between body fat mass index and skin-fat folds size over the triceps (r = 0.86), as well as between skeletal muscle mass index and shoulder muscles circle size (r = 0.82) was revealed. It is concluded that in the early post-transplant period (up to 100 days) nutritional status significantly worsened and tissue imbalance developed with a relative predominance of fat component and somatic protein pool reduction. Importance of comprehensive evaluation and monitoring of nutritional status to develop a strategy for nutritional support in children after HSCT is discussed.

Keywords

• children
• oncology
• nutritional status
• hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• bioimpedance measurements
• somatometry