Bone Quality and Nutritional Status in Children With Congenital Heart Defects

The aim of this study was to evaluate bone quality and nutritional status in children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) using quantitative ultrasound. A cross-sectional study was designed. A population-based sample of 75 children with CHD (age: 0-6 yr) from the Department of Pediatric Cardiology at the National Cardiology Institute “Ignacio Chávez” was compared with 106 healthy children during 2009. Weight and height were determined in both groups; bone status was measured at the radius and tibia as speed of sound (SOS). Nutritional status was defined according to the Waterloo and Gómez index. Chi-square test, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance were used to determine the statistical differences. A linear regression analysis adjusted by age, weight, height, type of CHD, and birth weight was made. Both groups were similar in sex distribution, prematurity, and birth weight. Acyanotic cardiopathy with increased pulmonary flow was the most frequent (61.3%). Prevalence of malnutrition was higher in CHD group compared with healthy children (p < 0.001), and radius SOS was lower in children with CHD compared with healthy children (3484 ± 180 vs 3575 ± 159 m/s, respectively; 95% confidence interval: 39.8-143; p = 0.001). A positive correlation was found between CHD and reduced SOS in the adjusted linear regression model, r2 = 0.455 (p < 0.001). Children with CHD have lower SOS radius values compared with healthy children, suggesting reduced bone quality regardless of the nutritional status.