What does marasmus mean?

What does marasmus mean?

Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition. It can occur in anyone who has severe malnutrition, but it usually occurs in children. It typically occurs in developing countries. Marasmus can be life-threatening, but you can get treatment for it.

What is kwashiorkor and its symptoms?

Kwashiorkor is a condition resulting from inadequate protein intake. Early symptoms include fatigue, irritability, and lethargy. As protein deprivation continues, one sees growth failure, loss of muscle mass, generalized swelling (edema), and decreased immunity. A large, protuberant belly is common.

What does kwashiorkor mean in English?

severe malnutrition

What causes kwashiorkor?

What causes kwashiorkor? The main cause of kwashiorkor is not eating enough protein or other essential vitamins and minerals. It’s most common in developing countries with a limited food supply, poor hygiene, and a lack of education about the importance of giving babies and children an adequate diet.

What food causes kwashiorkor?

The exact cause of the condition is not clear, but experts have associated it with diets consisting mainly of maize, cassava, or rice. A lack of dietary antioxidants may also contribute. Kwashiorkor usually occurs after a child stops breastfeeding, and before they reach 4 years of age.

Can kwashiorkor be cured?

Kwashiorkor can be corrected by eating more protein and more calories overall, especially if treatment is started early. You may first be given more calories in the form of carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. Once these calories provide energy, you will be given foods with proteins.

Why does kwashiorkor cause swollen belly?

Kwashiorkor is a severe form of malnutrition associated with a deficiency in dietary protein. The extreme lack of protein causes an osmotic imbalance in the gastro-intestinal system causing swelling of the gut diagnosed as an edema or retention of water.

Is marasmus worse than kwashiorkor?

Protein wasting in kwashiorkor generally leads to edema and ascites, while muscular wasting and loss of subcutaneous fat are the main clinical signs of marasmus. The prognosis is better than it is for kwashiorkor but half of severely malnourished children die due to unavailability of adequate treatment.

What is the full form of PEM?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines malnutrition as “the cellular imbalance between the supply of nutrients and energy and the body’s demand for them to ensure growth, maintenance, and specific functions.” The term protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) applies to a group of related disorders that include marasmus.

What causes marasmus and kwashiorkor?

Marasmus is a condition primarily caused by a deficiency in calories and energy, whereas kwashiorkor indicates an associated protein deficiency, resulting in an edematous appearance.

Can marasmus be cured?

A nutritious, well-balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and protein will reduce the risk of malnutrition and any related marasmus. Treatment of marasmus involves a special feeding and rehydration plan and close medical observation to prevent and manage complications of malnutrition.

What is beriberi and its symptoms?

Symptoms of dry beriberi include: Difficulty walking. Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet. Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs. Mental confusion/speech difficulties.

Is beriberi contagious?

Beriberi spread not through contagion, as some commentators imagined, but by the replication of similar institutions and workforces across the region and through the shared dietary practices that accompanied them.

How do you get beriberi?

The leading cause of beriberi is either a diet low in thiamine or a problem that limits the body’s ability to process thiamine. Beriberi is rare in developed countries. In the United States, many foods that people eat every day, such as bread and cereals, are fortified with thiamine.

What are the symptoms of low vitamin b1?

Here are 11 signs and symptoms of thiamine deficiency.

• Loss of Appetite. Share on Pinterest.
• Fatigue. Fatigue may occur gradually or suddenly.
• Irritability. Irritability is the feeling of agitation and frustration.
• Reduced Reflexes.
• Tingling Sensation in Arms and Legs.
• Muscle Weakness.
• Blurry Vision.
• Nausea and Vomiting.