CM McKinney et al. J Pediatr 2023; 255: 181-189. A Cross-Sectional Study of the Nutritional Status of Infants with Orofacial Clefts in the First 6 Months of Life

In this cross sectional study (2010-2022) the authors calculated the proportion of infants (n=883) underweight and wasting with z scores below −2 SDs monthly from birth to 6 months of age at a single tertiary care center. Key findings:

• Compared with expected proportion of underweight infants (2.3%), a larger proportion of infants with orofacial clefts were underweight between birth and 1 month (10.6%), peaking between 2 and 3 months (27.1%), and remaining high between 5 and 6 months (16.3%). 
• Compared with the expected proportion of infants with wasting (2.3%), a higher proportion of infants with orofacial clefts experienced wasting between birth and 1 month (7.3%), peaking between 2 and 3 months (12.8%), and remaining high between 5 and 6 months (5.3%).
• Similar findings were observed for all cleft types and regardless of comorbidities.
• “The mean prevalence of underweight in our sample exceeded that observed in children in African countries such as Tanzania and Uganda.”

My take: This study shows a high prevalence of underweight and wasting in infants with orofacial clefts.

Lego Art at Tucson Botanical Gardens: