Growth patterns in a population of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

This study examined growth of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) who received services from the California Department of Developmental Services from 1987 to 2002. In all, 141961 measurements of height and weight were taken from 24 920 patients with CP (14 103 males, 10 817 females). Centiles of weight and height were determined by age, sex, and five levels of functional ability ranging from fully ambulatory to unable to walk, crawl, or feed self, and fed via gastrostomy tube. Resulting charts of height and weight centiles were compared with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weight and height charts for the general population of the US. Centiles of height and weight of patients with CP were close to those of the general population for the highest functioning groups with CP, but lagged substantially for other groups. Presence of a feeding tube was associated with greater height and weight in the lowest functioning groups, with centiles for weight being 2 to 5 kg higher for those with gastrostomy tubes. The charts may assist in early identification of nutritional or metabolic difficulties beyond what might be expected for patients with similar functional disabilities.