CARACTERIZAÇÃO DO ESTADO NUTRICIONAL DOS PACIENTES NEUROLÓGICOS ATENDIDOS NA CLÍNICA DE FISIOTERAPIA DE UMA UNIVERSIDADE NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

Abstract

This study was conducted with 24 patients of a Clinical from a University located in the city of Sao Paulo. During the nutritional assessment it was collected anthropometric data from patients of both sexes, aged between 3 and 62 years old. Most patients showed a socioeconomic level between B1 and C1. It was verified that 33% of patients had cerebral palsy with median time from diagnosis of 7.5 years. Regarding nutritional status, 64.3% were eutrophic, 7.1% overweight and 21.4% obese. In children, the prevalence of malnutrition was high (20%). The average of body fat was 24.2%, which is considered high for both sexes. Patients with brain damage, apparently, are more affected by overweight and obesity, followed by those with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. We concluded that these patients have an important nutritional discrepancy and they need systematic monitoring and health education.

Key words - nutritional status, body composition, spinal cord injury, neurology.