Resting energy expenditure in children with cerebral palsy : accuracy of available prediction formulae and development of a population-specific formula

Background and aims: Energy requirements are difficult to estimate in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Resting energy expenditure (REE), necessary for personalized nutritional intervention, is most commonly estimated using prediction formulae because the reference method, i.e. indirect calorimetry (IC), is not available in all Nutrition Units. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of the most commonly used REE prediction formulae in children with CP. The secondary aim was to develop a new population-specific formula for the estimation of REE in children with CP. Methods: REE was measured by IC in 54 children and adolescents with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (SQCP) and estimated from the five most commonly used prediction formulae, i.e. the World Health Organization (WHO), Harris–Benedict, Schofield weight, Schofield weight & height, and Oxford formulae. Results: The mean (standard deviation, SD) difference between the estimated and measured REE was 64 (238) kcal/day for the WHO formula, 79 (226) kcal/day for the Schofield weight formula, 79 (223) kcal/day for the Schofield weight and height formula, 55 (226) kcal/day for the Oxford formula, 37 (224) kcal/day for the Harris–Benedict formula and 0 (213) kcal/day for the purposely developed population-specific formula. Owing to the large SD of the bias, none of these formulae can be reliably applied at the individual level to estimate REE. Conclusions: The most commonly used REE prediction formulas are inaccurate at both the population and individual level in children with SQCP. A purposely developed population-specific formula, despite being accurate at the population level, does not perform better than the most commonly used REE formulae at the individual level.