[Hemophilia: evaluation of the nutritional status and growth in childhood]

Abstract

Haemophilia is a bleeding disorder characterized by decreased activity of the circulating antihemophilic factor, with different degrees of severity. The prognosis of the disease for an useful normal life is good, providing an adeguate follow-up. We think that the auxological determinants of growth and nutritional status must enter as points of a multicentre follow-up sheet of haemophilia in the pediatric age. We have tried such an approach in 13 patients; preliminary results have shown that all patients are growing well with some degrees of discrete malnutrition (arm circumference less than -1.6 SD). From costitutional point of view, haemophilic boys show a discrete "lean" body pattern (W/H2 less than or equal to O SD(with their trunk longer than legs. Data from other studies are wellcome for confirming our first impressions.