S40 The Impact of Nutritional Counseling on Growth Velocity in Pediatric IBD Patients

Background: Approximately1in4patientswithin ﬂ ammatoryboweldisease(IBD)willpresentwith the disease during childhood. Pediatric IBD is linked to poor growth outcomes and pubertal delay in both Crohn ’ s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). In up to 46% of pediatric CD patients, a decrease in height velocity is the ﬁ rst symptom to present, before any gastrointestinal. This decreased growth is likely multifactorial and related to decreased caloric intake, poor nutrient absorption, corticosteroid use, and chronic in ﬂ ammation. In up to 17% of pediatric IBD patients with decreased growth velocity, these early delays can lead to permanent growth de ﬁ cit. This study aimed to assess the e ﬀ ectiveness of nutritional counseling by a registered dietician on growth velocity in the pediatric IBD population at a major medical center. Methods: This study was conducted as a retrospective chart review. Charts of pediatric IBD patients that were seen at Golisano Children ’ s Hospital at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY in the years 2020 and 2021 were collected using billing codes. In all, 140 total charts were reviewed, and 7 were excluded because they did not have an established IBD diagnosis. Demographic, growth ve- locity, and laboratory data were collected for each of the remaining 133 charts. Results: Of the pediatric IBD population sampled, 56% of patients were male, 44% were female, and themeanageofdiagnosiswas11.2years(SD 5 3.74).80.17%ofpatientshadCrohn ’ sdisease,19.01% had ulcerative colitis, and 0.83% had an inconclusive IBD diagnosis. 40.60% of patients had at least one appointment or consultation with a dietician or a nutritionist, while 59.40% had not met with a dieticianora nutritionist.Themeanheightvelocity*was0.31 cm/month(SD 5 0.35