OBJECTIVES: to provide an anthropometric evaluation of patients suspected of having innate errors of metabolism (IEMs) and report the prevalence of nutritional disorders (malnutrition, overweight and obesity). METHODS: fifty-five patients aged between 0 and 10 years were evaluated for anthropometric indices (H/A, W/A and W/H and BMI/A), in the innate errors of metabolism laboratory (LEIM) of the Federal University of Pará, using scales and an anthropometer. The data were collected using an LEIM form. Nutritional diagnosis was carried out using the Anthro and Anthro Plus programs and the SPSS statistics package. RESULTS: the patients attended were mostly aged between seven months and nine years. The main symptoms were delayed neuropsychomotor development and frequent infections. As for the nutritional status, a deficit of 23.7% was observed in weight for age, a deficit of 50.9% in height for age, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 15.4% according to weight for height, and 25,1% according to body mass index for age. CONCLUSIONS: the nutritional status of the patients was inadequate and, given the absence of a diagnosis of IEMs, the factors involved should be investigated more thoroughly.
Anthropometry; Metabolism; inborn errors; Nutritional status
