A severe clinical condition, occurring most frequently in children 1 to 3 years of age, resulting from a deficiency of protein (and other nutrients) combined with a relative excess of calories. It is characterized by growth failure, edema, and muscle wasting. There is often a preceding or associated infection, such as diarrhea, respiratory infection, or measles. Other frequently associated changes are reduced pigmentation, hair loss, liver enlargement, dermatosis, and apathy.
severe malnutrition caused by a lack of proteins, especially in young children, most typically associated with the symptom of a bloated belly.
A severe protein-deficiency type of malnutrition of children. It occurs after the child is weaned. The clinical signs are, at first, a vague type of lethargy, apathy, or irritability and, later, failure to grow, mental deficiency, increased susceptibility to infections, and edema.
severe malnutrition in children resulting from a diet excessively high in carbohydrates and low in protein
a condition which affects young children that is caused by a protein deficiency in the diet. It causes stunted physical and mental growth, loss of hair pigment, and swelling.
See Also Protein Calorie Malnutrition: A nutritional deficiency illness in children who are not getting enough protein. This results in anemia, poor growth, weakness, and edema (which is particularly characterized by a pronounced pot belly). In famine-stricken regions, children typically develop kwashiorkor right after they are weaned.
A widespread human protein deficiency disease resulting from a starchy diet low in protein and essential amino acids.
a form of protein-energy malnutrition in which only protein is deficient. It is most common in young children who are unable to meet their high protein needs with the available diet.
n: Type of malnutrition that occurs in infants and very young children when they are weaned from mother's milk to a starchy diet low in protein.
Kwashiorkor is a type of childhood malnutrition with controversial causes, but commonly believed to be caused by insufficient protein intake. British pediatrician Cicely D. Williams introduced the name into international scientific circles in her 1935 Lancet articleWilliams CD. (1935) Kwashiorkor: a nutritional disease of children associated with a maize diet.
