World Health Organization's Growth Reference Overestimates the Prevalence of Severe Malnutrition in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia in Africa.

ABSTRACT: Anthropometric indices are widely used to assess the health and nutritional status of children. We tested the hypothesis that the 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) reference for assessment of malnutrition in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) overestimates the prevalence of severe malnutrition when compared to a previously constructed SCA-specific reference. We applied the WHO and SCA-specific references to children with SCA aged 5-12 years living in northern Nigeria (Primary Prevention of Stroke in Children with SCA in sub-Saharan Africa (SPRING) trial) to determine the difference in prevalence of severe malnutrition defined as body mass index (BMI) Z-score <-3 and whether severe malnutrition was associated with lower mean hemoglobin levels or abnormal transcranial Doppler measurem

SUBMITTER: Ghafuri DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7020064 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature