Nutrition in Chronic Respiratory Disease

Malnutrition is an emerging problem in children with chronic respiratory diseases that requires complex and high-cost treatment. Factors, such as underlying disease, age of onset, severity, time of malnutrition detection, and drugs, will affect the nutritional status. Mechanisms described herein are lower food intake, increase in resting metabolic rate, digestive losses, and anaerobic metabolism. Malnutrition will alter lung growth and development and will damage the lung defense mechanisms, promoting a vicious circle with greater morbidity and mortality. The main objective of the nutritional support is to optimize growth and development. Nutritional management should include monitoring of food intake, nutritional status, and early nutritional interventions, promoted by a coordinated interdisciplinary team.