Malnutrition

malnutrition causes and effects

diets lacking essential nutrients, can lead to protein-energy malnutrition and specific micronutrient deficiencies, about Half of all deaths in children under 5 are from undernutrition, undernutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, stunting declined, wasting persists and overweight increases

Most important MND (micronutrient deficiencies)

iron, vitamin A, zinc, folic acid

major determinants

high prevalence of infectious diseases, poverty

Vitamin A deficiency

leading cause of preventable childhood blindness, increases risk of death of common childhood illnesses, high-dose vitamin A supplementation is a proven cheap intervention to reduce all-cause mortality

Iodine Deficiency

cause of preventable mental retardation, especially during pregnancy and in early childhood, when severe can lead to cretinism, stillbirth and miscarriage, when mind can cause significant loss of learning ability

causes of Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM)

insufficient supply of macronutrients, severe and chronic infectious diseases, severe malnutrition consist of wasting or edema, marasmus: severe wasting, kwashiorkor: edema, Marasmic Kwashiorkor: severe wasting in the presence of edema

Kwashiorkor and symptoms

severe protein deficiency, often developed at an older age than marasmus, diet with mainly carbs, edema, or puffy woolen appearance, bulging of the abdomen, inability to grow or gain weight

marasmus symptoms

weight loss, dehydration, stomach shrinkage, diarrhea

maternal malnutrition

BMI 18.5-20, mothers face higher risk of mortality due to increased susceptibility to infections and delivery complications in cases of stunting, anemia is a risk factor for severe bleeding, intrauterine growth restriction leads to LBW babies and increased perinatal and neonatal mortality and contributes to stunting which predisposes girls to delivery complications later in life and affects generations

effects of malnutrition for mothers

short in hight, cephalopelvic disproportion - birthing difficulties, low body mass index (intrauterine growth restrictions), severe cases cause lack of nutrients in breast milk

effects of malnutrition for children

underweight, wasting, deterioration, stunted growth, deficiencies (vitamin A, zinc, iron, iodine)

management and control

community based therapeutic care, food supplementation, income generation, nutritional education, food prize subsidies, improved water supply and sanitation, hygiene education, functioning health services IMCI approach (growth monitoring, high immunization coverage and correct management of infectious diseases

severe acute malnutrition

ready to use therapeutic foods allows management severely malnourished children without medical complications through outpatient settings, made of peanut butter, milk powder and a combination of vitamins and minerals, already made and no need to be mixed with water

management and control of MNDs

food with high content of absorbable micronutrients through home wards and small livestock production, fat based spreads, iron fortified foods, low dose iron supplements, vitamin A supplements, micronutrient fortification, multivitamin, iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy