Evaluation of nutrition status in patients with cerebral palsy and determine its relationship with functional status

İntroduction: The purpose of this study is evaluation of the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy and to determine the correlation between the nutritional status and gross motor function Material and Methods: Cerebral palsy children were grouped by age, 52 patients from age group 2-6, 56 from age group 7-12 and 10 patients from age group 13-18 were included to the study. Anthropometric values of patients were measured by standard methods, these measurments were compared to reference values. The relationship between GMFCS and EDACS levels was investigated. The relationship between nutritional status, gender, age, GMFCS and EDAC levels was investigated using Pearson Chi-square test, t test, kruskal Wallis test, Mann Whitney U test and Spearman correlation tests. Results: We evaluated 118 patients, among whom 51 (43, 2%) were stunting, 40(37, 1%) underweight, 9(7, 6%) overweight and 18(15, 3%) obese. The frequency of underweight increased as the severity of impaired gross motor function increased, but the difference was not significant. We found a positive correlation between the GMFCS and EDAC level and a negative correlation between GMFCS and TSFT. Conclusion: Growth and developmental problems are common in children with cerebral palsy in different age stages. The results of our study showed that the frequency of underweight and stunting increased as the motor impairment severity increased. Characteristics of different gross function status should be taken into consideration in the management of growth and nutrition in this population Key Words: cerebral palsy, nutritional status, gross motor function, eating and drinking ability