Research progress regarding the nutritional status and assessment methods of cerebral palsy patients

Cerebral palsy is a group of clinical disorders characterized by persistent central motor deficits and postural abnormalities due to non-progressive damage to the fetal or infant brain. Malnutrition is one of the most common clinical comorbidities in children with cerebral palsy and is the result of a combination of internal factors, such as the child’s structural and functional abnormalities, and external factors, such as the child’s feeding habits and family/social factors. The nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy is closely related to their development, quality of life, social participation, and life expectancy; thus, an objective and accurate understanding of the nutritional status of these children through rehabilitation assessment is essential for their growth and development. The current nutritional assessments include routine measurements of human nutritional parameters, scale-based assessments, and instrumental assessments. It is important to detect malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy at an early stage, reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, and improve the quality of survival. Therefore, this review aimed to analyze and summarize the nutritional status and assessment methods of children with cerebral palsy, to assess the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy from multiple perspectives, indicators and directions, and to provide reference for the early detection of co-morbid malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy.