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Nutrition Post Transplant

Body weight recovery, eating difficulties and compliance with dietary advice in the first year after stem cell transplantation: a prospective study

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 29, pages 417–424 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Among healthcare professionals there is no consensus about the best policy to increase oral intake and promote recovery in the post-hospital phase after bone marrow or blood stem cell transplantation. In order to evaluate body weight recovery and compliance with dietary advice among these patients, we performed a prospective longitudinal study in the first year post transplant. At five time intervals (days 50, 75, 125, 200 and 350) patients received a nutritional questionnaire with items on nutrition-related symptoms, physical condition, body weight recovery and compliance with dietary advice. From the initial cohort of 135 patients 69 completed the study. Prevalence of eating difficulties was high (66% at day 50). Anorexia, dry mouth, altered taste, nausea and tiredness were the symptoms most strongly associated with eating difficulties. Compliance with dietary advice was poor. Conditioning regimen was found to be a prognostic factor for body weight status at day 350. In more than 50% of the TBI-treated patients body weight was not restored to 95% of the pretreatment value within 1 year after transplant. Future studies should focus on increasing energy and protein intake in the TBI-treated subgroup.

Bone Marrow Transplantation (2002) 29, 417–424. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1703375

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the patients who gave their time and energy to complete the questionnaires. We also thank the following persons for their contribution to the study: Prof R Willemze, Head of Department, Jacqueline Langius and Myriam van Zandvoort, dieticians of the Haematology Department, Floor van de Loo, co-ordinator nurse, Ingrid Starrenburg, data manager of the Haematology Department of the Leiden University Medical Centre and Sytske Runia, dietician of the Haematology Department of the University Medical Centre Utrecht. This study has been partially supported by NUMICO BV, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

    JA Iestra

  2. Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

    WE Fibbe

  3. Department of Medical Statistics, Leiden University, The Netherlands

    AH Zwinderman

  4. Division for Rehabilitation and Nutritional Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

    WA van Staveren

  5. National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    D Kromhout

Authors
  1. JA Iestra
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  2. WE Fibbe
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  4. WA van Staveren
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  5. D Kromhout
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Iestra, J., Fibbe, W., Zwinderman, A. et al. Body weight recovery, eating difficulties and compliance with dietary advice in the first year after stem cell transplantation: a prospective study. Bone Marrow Transplant 29, 417–424 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703375

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703375

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