Objectives: Impaired growth has been reported in children born with esophageal atresia (EA). Their nutritional fate at adulthood remains uncertain though. Our objectives were to determine the body mass index (BMI) of adult patients with EA followed up from 2009 to 2011 in the EA clinic of a university-affiliated hospital in Quebec (Canada), and investigate characteristics associated with underweight.
Methods: The 40 adult patients with EA attending the clinic were invited to participate. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Patients with BMI < 18.5 kg/m were deemed underweight. Patients' characteristics were obtained, including digestive symptoms and compensatory eating behaviors. Nonparametric tests were used to compare the proportion of underweight among patients with EA with that found in the Quebec population and the characteristics between patients with EA deemed underweight and those with BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m.
Results: The final sample included 16 women and 21 men, ages 18 to 44 years. Mean BMI was 21.3 ± 4.9 kg/m and 24.3% had BMI < 18.5 kg/m, which is higher than in the Quebec adult population (2.5%, P < 0.001). Compared with patients with EA having BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m, underweight patients had more often experienced failure to thrive during their adolescence (55.6% vs 7.4%, P = 0.006), and reported severe postprandial fullness (62.5% vs 21.4%, P = 0.040), the need to eat slowly (87.5% vs 46.4%; P = 0.045), and severe difficulties to swallow dry solid foods (50.0% vs 14.3%, P = 0.054).
Conclusions: Insufficient body weight is prevalent in this sample of adult patients with EA and could result from digestive symptoms. Follow-up with a gastroenterologist and nutritional counseling should be considered for adult patients with EA.