Dificuldades alimentares em prematuros após a alta hospitalar

Abstract

Premature children make up a risk group for various changes, among which the dietary difficulties stand out. This study aims to assess the occurrence of eating difficulties and changes in the organs of the stomatognathic system in the first three years of corrected age of premature births. This is a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study in which 49 preterm infants were studied, with a corrected age between 24 and 36 months born between 2015 and 2017. Data collection was performed at the outpatient clinic of the University Hospital through the use of two instruments, one containing the maternal character, the child's and sociodemographic data and the second, consisted of the speech therapy assessment protocol for pediatric feeding. Sample stratified into two groups:>32 and <32 weeks of gestational age. Data were analyzed using the XLSTAT® computer program using Student's t test (p> 0.05) or Mann-Whitney (p <0.05); chi-square test for independence and in the case of categorical counts less than 5, the Monte Carlo Method was used. In all tests, the significance level used was 0.05. In the dietary profile, those with gestational age <32 weeks were more likely to have a diet with pasty foods, even for the same group the predominance of exclusive breastfeeding was 28%, and for those born with gestacional age> 32 weeks it was 70.83%. Changes in phonoarticulatory organs in both groups were identified for tongue and palate sensitivity, tone and posture of lips, tongue, cheeks, palate structure and bite without statistical difference (p> 0.05). The gestational age group> 32 weeks, had less chances of manifesting food discomfort compared to the group <32 weeks, the latter is more likely to have changes in the oromotor aspects of the food in the pasty and solid consistencies for lip sealing in swallowing, signs suggestive of laryngeal penetration / aspiration and chewing. Conclusion: There was no clear relationship between the type of food and changes in the stomatognathic system. Prematurity must be considered as a risk factor for the development of this system. In this study, it was identified that the group of children born less than 32 weeks had a higher chance of manifesting the complaint of discomfort during feeding. It is concluded that eating difficulties are a reality in this population in the age group studied.