Feeding the child with chronic liver disease

Protein energy malnutrition leading to growth failure is an inevitable consequence of chronic liver disease in 60% of children. Malnutrition should be anticipated by serial anthropometric assessment and prevented by early intervention with nutritional support. Both morbidity and mortality postliver transplantation have been related to the degree of pretransplant malnutrition, and thus nutritional status is an important risk factor for survival postliver transplantation. As survival following pediatric liver transplantation improves, with most centers reporting 1 y survival rates of 90–95% and 5 y survival rates of 80–85%, attention has focused on achieving nutritional rehabilitation, normal psychosocial development, and normal quality of life. An understanding of the etiology of protein malnutrition in liver disease is essential when planning therapeutic strategies. Considerable research progress has been made exploring the pathophysiology of malnutrition, including long-chain fat malabsorption with essential fatty acid deficiency, abnormal energy metabolism, substrate utilization, and nitrogen metabolism in liver disease. Effective strategies are emerging and future advances include docosahexaenioc acid, branched chain amino acids, and structured lipids. The key to success is a multidisciplinary approach to nutritional intervention, including pediatric dietitian, liaison nurse, feeding psychologist, and clinician.