Nutritional outcomes in children with epidermolysis bullosa: the experiences of two centers in Korea

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is associated with variable risks of extracutaneous manifestations and death. Currently, there is limited information on the clinical course and prognosis of EB in Korea. This study analyzed the nutritional outcomes, clinical morbidity, and mortality of children with EB. T...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Yonsei medical journal 2014, 55(1), , pp.264-269
Main Authors: Kim, Kyu-Yeun, Namgung, Ran, Lee, Soon Min, Kim, Soo Chan, Eun, Ho Sun, Park, Min Soo, Park, Kook In, Lee, Chul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Birth Weight - physiology
Epidermolysis Bullosa - physiopathology
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Korea
Male
Original
Pregnancy
Republic of Korea
Retrospective Studies
의학일반
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is associated with variable risks of extracutaneous manifestations and death. Currently, there is limited information on the clinical course and prognosis of EB in Korea. This study analyzed the nutritional outcomes, clinical morbidity, and mortality of children with EB. Thirty patients, admitted to Severance Hospital and Gangnam Severance Hospital, from January 2001 to December 2011, were retrospectively enrolled. All patients were diagnosed with EB classified by dermatologists. Among the 30 patients, 5 patients were diagnosed with EB simplex, four with junctional EB, and 21 with dystrophic EB. Wound infection occurred in 47% of the patients, and blood culture-proven sepsis was noted in 10% of the patients. Two (9.2%) patients had esophageal stricture and 11 (52.4%) of the dystrophic EB patients received reconstructive surgery due to distal extremity contracture. There were five mortalities caused by sepsis, failure to thrive, and severe metabolic acidosis with dehydration. According to nutrition and growth status, most of the infants (97%) were born as appropriate for gestational age. However, at last follow-up, 56% of the children were below the 3rd percentile in weight, and 50% were below the 3rd percentile in weight for height. Sixty percent of the children had a thrive index below -3. Postnatal growth failure is a serious problem in children with EB. Strategies to maximize nutritional support could alleviate growth failure in children with EB, and thus improve clinical outcomes.
ISSN:0513-5796
1976-2437
DOI:10.3349/ymj.2014.55.1.264