IJFANS International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences

ISSN PRINT 2319 1775 Online 2320-7876

Evaluation of Nutritional Status in Kashmiri Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Main Article Content

Toyeeba Hassan, Sajad Geelani, Parveena Firdous, KamranNissar, Bashir A. Ganai

Abstract

Long-standing awareness and ongoing documentation of malnutrition in adult and paediatric cancer patients has been a topic of discussion among health professionals and. Although the predictive value of nutritional status in cancer patients is still being debated, it is widely accepted that nutritional support is an essential component of medical treatment. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional health of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The study included 50 ALL patients ranging in age from (0-14 year). The whole medical history of each patient was gathered, including details on their primary complaint, previous eating habits, diagnostic tests, and measurements. In the newly diagnosed stage, malnutrition was more prevalent than in the remission and relapsed stages: 50% (weight-for-age), 28.6% (height-for-age), 42.9% (weight-for-height), 28.6% (MUAC-for-age), and 7.1% (according to the findings) (severe malnutrition). Furthermore, of the 50 ALL patients, 65.9% were men and 34% were women. The majority of participants (51.2%) were aged 0 to 5. During the study, more than half of the participants (54.9%) were in remission. The findings revealed that, out of the 50 participants, 19 (39.5%) were underweight for weight-for-age, 9 (14.2%) were stunted for height-for-age, 16 (29.4%) were wasted for weight-for-height, and 8 (16.9%) had malnutrition for (mid upper arm circumference) MUAC-for-age. Malnutrition affected a large proportion of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sufficient nutrition is critical to ensuring the best possible treatment and prognosis for such children.

Article Details