PP017 - UTILITY OF BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION IN CHILDREN WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

PP017

UTILITY OF BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION IN CHILDREN WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

E. Wernio¹, K. Śledzińska², S. Małgorzewicz^1,*

¹Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, ²Department of Paediatrics, Haemathology and Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland

Rationale: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive disorder characterized by muscle degeneration and replacement with adipose and connective tissue. Body composition is further altered by long-term corticosteroid therapy, necessitating regular and precise nutritional assessment. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is widely used in clinical practice due to its non-invasive nature; however, its validity in DMD remains unclear compared with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), the reference standard. This study aimed to compare body composition parameters obtained using multifrequency BIA and DEXA in children with DMD.

Methods: Forty-seven patients (mean age 11.61 ± 3.45 years) were included. Median body weight percentile was 49 (27–70), height percentile 6 (1–36), and mean BMI percentile 66.99 ± 32.19. Body composition was assessed using BIA and DEXA, with statistical comparisons and correlation analyses performed.

Results: Total body fat percentage was significantly lower with BIA than DEXA (28.9 ± 13.0% vs. 46.1 ± 11.7%, p < 0.001), as was fat mass (12.2 [5.3–18.7] vs. 18.3 [9.6–28.1] kg, p = 0.004). Conversely, fat-free mass (FFM) was higher with BIA (28.8 ± 9.4 vs. 23.1 ± 5.25 kg, p = 0.005). Excess extracellular water was present in 64% of patients. Phase angle correlated positively with total body water, particularly at 200 kHz. As BIA results fat mass (kg) correlated with GGT (r = 0.62, p < 0.001), while FFM (kg) correlated negatively with total cholesterol and LDL (r = −0.40, p = 0.005).

Conclusion: BIA does not provide reliable body composition estimates in children with DMD compared with DEXA. Discrepancies may result from altered hydration status associated with the disease and corticosteroid therapy. Further research should explore bioimpedance vector analysis and longitudinal changes in this population.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared