Neuropsychomotor development and functional skills in preschool children with liver diseases

Abstract

Introduction: Children with chronic liver diseases are
exposed to biological and/or environmental risk factors
that can compromise their neuromotor acquisition and
development of functional skills. Objective: To describe
the neuropsychomotor development (NPMD) and
functional skills of children with chronic liver diseases.
Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory
study carried out with children up to 6 years old who
were selected at a reference hospital in the state of Bahia,
Brazil, from November 2019 to March 2020. Children in
outpatient care with clinical, laboratory and histological
diagnosis compatible with chronic liver disease were
considered eligible. The instrument for assessing
neuropsychomotor development was Denver II.
Functional skills were obtained by applying the Pediatric
Evaluation of Disability Inventory computer-adaptive test
(PEDI-CAT) to parents or primary caregivers, Speedy
version (Speedy-CAT). Results: Of the 34 children with
chronic liver disease, 52.9% were female, aged between
4 and 6 years (64%). The results of the Denver II test
showed that 68.7% (22/32) of the sample were at risk
for NPMD. In the PEDI-CAT, the scores of children with
liver disease at risk for NPMD were 60.7 ± 9.1 in the daily
activity domains, 57.6 ± 11.8 in mobility and 48.3 ± 6.2 in
the social/cognitive domains. Conclusion: Children with
chronic liver disease are at risk for NPMD, although not
presenting impaired functional skills when evaluated by
the PEDI-CAT.