Malnutrition in children with achalasia

Introduction. One of the key manifestations of achalasia cardia (AC), a rare chronic esophageal disease, is severe dysphagia leading to protein-energy malnutrition, which worsens the results of surgical treatment.

Objective. Comprehensive assessment of the nutritional status in children with achalasia cardia.

Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of twenty clinical AC cases was performed in children treated in the thoracic department of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health from 2019 to 2022. To assess the nutritional status of patients, BAZ (BMI/age) and HAZ (height/age) Z-criteria were used, calculated using the WHO Anthro Plus software (2009). The severity of clinical symptoms was assessed using the Eckardt scale, Statistical data processing was performed in StatTech v. 4.8.5 and Microsoft Excel.

Results. Pronounced disorders of the nutritional status were revealed in AC children: malnutrition was established in 12 children, while more severe disorders were noted in younger children. Patients with BAZ < –2 were hospitalized 2.3 times more often, stayed in hospital longer and more often required repeated surgical interventions. The severity of symptoms according to the Eckardt scale before surgery was higher in children with severe.

Conclusion. The study confirmed the high prevalence of nutritional deficiency in children with achalasia cardia, associated with a longer hospital stay, which justifies the need to assess the nutritional status throughout the entire period of hospitalization and its timely correction.

Contribution:
Burkina N.I., Bushueva T.V. — research concept and design of the study;
Burkina N.I., Bushueva T.V., Ratnikov S.A., Komina E.I. — collection and processing of material;
Burkina N.I. — statistical processing;
Burkina N.I., Bushueva T.V., Alkhasov A.B. — writing the text;
Bushueva T.V., Alkhasov A.B., Borovik T.E., Fisenko A.Р. — editing the text.
All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article

Acknowledgment. The study had no sponsorship.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: June 24, 2025
Accepted: July 25.2025
Published: August 28, 2025

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