Malnutrition

Malnutrition's disease overview

What is

malnutrition? Malnutrition is the term to refer to the lack of essential nutrients, most commonly the deficiency of protein, vitamins and minerals. The consequence of the body does not receive enough nutrients is a decline in the activity of the organs. This is especially important in children, especially at the time when children have high nutritional needs from 6-24 months of age.

malnutrition in children often causes slow growth and limits physical activity. In more severe than malnutrition, it also affects the brain development, intelligence, communication ability and increasing the likelihood of many diseases for children. Evaluate a malnourished child based on the stats:

  • Weight by age
  • Age height
  • Weight according to height

    • Malnutative malnutrition in adults is often common in the elderly, or adults have causes of restricting food supply for the body such as chronic diseases, expenses Anorexia. Malnourished adults will cause complications: weakened immune system, increased the likelihood of many different diseases, especially infectious diseases; limiting movement, easy to fall; need caregivers.

    Causes of Malnutrition's disease

    Causes of malnutrition are mostly derived from externalities such as living circumstances, economic conditions, eating habits and activities. Malnutrition is often the result of the following issues:

  • Poor meals and quality of nutrients: This is a common cause of malnutrition in poor countries.
  • The ability to absorb poor nutrients due to gastrointestinal diseases or after a serious illness, the patient feels not delicious, does not want to eat even though it is provided with formula Eat rich in nutrients. Vomiting or prolonged melting loses nutrients. Crohn ulcer disease, Crohn disease reduces the ability to intolerate nutrients from food. Patients with stomach ulcers or liver diseases often face indigestion, make people anorexia, and gradually cause malnutrition. Infections in the gastrointestinal tract, or the use of antibiotic drugs, causing an imbalance between beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria in the intestinal tract also reduces absorption.

    • Mental health issues: Many mental disorders affect the eating habits of patients such as depression, mental anorexia, vomiting and disorders Eat other. This cause can also be encountered in children. When the family is forced to eat excessive eating, children are easily psychologically fear to produce obsessions of food, gradually will lead to anorexia and malnutrition.

  • Infants are not fully breastfed for the first 6 months, do not breastfeed enough breast milk and weaning too early. Many studies have shown that not breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life can lead to malnutrition in infants and young children. The concept of breastfeeding is better than breast milk. Mothers who are malnourished or do not know how to breastfeed are also indirect causes of malnutrition in infants.

    • Symptoms of Malnutrition's disease

    Symptoms of malnutrition in adults

    malnutrition in adults often have clinical manifestations as follows:

  • Fatigue, drowsiness, movement
  • Gradually atrophy of subcutaneous fat
  • Loose muscle layer, mass reduction
  • Wounds heal longer than usual
  • susceptible to infections due to reduced resistance
  • Reduce sexual activity

    • Poor fertility

    In cases of worse malnutrition, the following signs may be encountered:

  • pale, non -elastic, dry skin
  • The subcutaneous fat almost disappears
  • The skinny face
  • Dry, brittle nail hair

    • Expression of heart failure, liver failure, respiratory failure due to prolonged energy lack.

  • can be fatal if you fasten continuously from 8-12 days.
    • Symptoms malnutrition in children

    to assess a child malnutrition in a comprehensive way, need to monitor these The following index:

  • Weight of age.
  • Age height.
  • Weight according to height.

    • Signs malnutrition in children different by each level and each malnutrition . There are many ways to classify malnutrition in children .

    Normally, malnutrition in children is divided into 3 types: mild weight malnutrition, stunting malnutrition and thin body malnutrition.

  • Mild weight malnutrition : When children's weight are lower than the standard of children in the same age and the same gender. The value of the child's age is under the performance -2SD path

    • stunting malnutrition : When the height of the child is low, the standard of children in the same age and the same gender. The value of the child's age height is under the performing line of -2SD. This is a chronic malnutrition, clinically stunted manifestation is the result of a prolonged malnutrition process in the first years of life, sometimes starting early from malnutrition as soon as it is still in the abdomen. Mom.

    Thin body malnutrition : When the weight of the child's height is lower than the standard of children of the same gender, ie below -2SD lying below -2SD . At this time, the muscles and fats a lot. This is acute malnutrition, which occurs in a short time.

    There is another way to classify malnutrition in children is based on morphology, divided into 3 types: malnutrition , failure Supplied physical nutrition, mixed malnutrition.

  • Kwashookor (Kwashokor): This is a severe malnutrition. On the outside, the child has a full round face but his limbs are sparkling, shrinking, and the muscle tone decreases. Children have symptoms such as edema, skin pigmentation disorders with dark red or black spots and complications such as prolonged anemia, rickets, vitamin A deficiency causing corneal dryness, night blindness. Children often fuss, thin hair easily falls, brittle nails, vomiting, diarrhea can also be manifestations of the disease. Parents who lack knowledge can be very easy to ignore, making the treatment of children delayed. Malnutrition is suitable for treatment and the percentage rate is quite high. The cause of physical malnutrition is due to a lack of protid supply, which may be accompanied by a lack of micronutrients such as vitamins and mineral salts
  • Malnutia malnutrition (Maramus): This is a severe malnutrition, because children are not provided with enough energy. The child is very thin, looks like a violent skin, an old face, loses the entire subcutaneous layer and often has digestive disorders. Children are anorexia, moody, less flexible. Malnutrition malnutrition

    • Mixed malnutrition Mixed body: is a combination of malnutrition and malnutrition Phu . Because children are not provided with enough protid and energy.

    People at risk for Malnutrition's disease

    There are many risk factors that increase the likelihood of malnutrition including:

  • The poor, low income
  • Elderly people
  • People with many diseases at the same time, or suffering from severe diseases to be hospitalized for a long time
  • Alcoholic due to gastritis and pancreatitis, reducing digestion and food absorption. Besides, drinking a lot of alcohol reduces the feeling of hunger, alcoholics always feel full so they do not eat well.

    • Prevention of Malnutrition's disease

    There are many effective ways to prevent malnutrition:

  • Breastfeeding completely for the first 6 months of life and lasting for at least two years. Only consider children to use formula when the condition is not enough breast milk does not solve quickly.
  • Instruct mothers to breastfeed properly.
  • Food rich food, often changing food, delicious stimulation
  • Strengthen regular physical activity to stimulate appetite
  • Thoroughly treat diseases in the gastrointestinal tract as well as systemic diseases.
  • Meet psychologists, psychiatrists for advice and treatment of eating disorders and other mental disorders that affect eating habits. .
  • Add light meals alternating between the main meals
  • Do not abuse antibiotics in treating disease

    • Regularly monitor the child's growth process with the chart

  • Take measures to support economic development, improve the living standards of people.
  • Instructions on how to choose food economically and fully.

    • Diagnostic measures for Malnutrition's disease

    The diagnostic doctor malnutrition is based on clinical manifestations and anthropomorphic indicators.

    malnutrition in children is diagnosed based on the stats: age weight, age height, height weight.

    malnutrition in adults is diagnosed based on the body mass index (BMI). According to the classification score of the World Health Organization in 2000:

  • BMI: 17 - <18.5 is thin 1
  • BMI: 16 - 16.99 is thin 2
  • BMI: <16 is thin 3

    • Malnutrition's disease treatments

    Treatment of malnutrition includes symptomatic treatment and solving causes. Doctors will develop a comprehensive treatment and care plan with the goal of providing sufficient nutrients for patients and health rehabilitation.

  • Diet: Patients will receive advice on a reasonable, healthy diet. A proper diet must meet the body's energy needs from a full range of groups including protein, lipid, glucid, minerals and vitamins. If not supplemented by regular eating can consider using functional foods or oral medications.
  • Planning to take care: The plan is created with goals and how to implement depending on each specific case. People with malnutrition are severe or unable to chew with oral diets will have a more special diet. Feeding with a stomach sonde tube is placed through the mouth or nose and feeding with intravenous sugars are two ways to support artificial eating.  

    • Monitoring and evaluating: Patients should be monitored regularly, test weight and anthropomorphic indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. As a result, helping to determine the appropriate time to switch from artificial eating support to normal eating, helping to reduce the burden of care for patients malnutrition severe.

    See also:

  • Diet and care for malnutrition children
  • Distinguishing rickets and malnutrition Li>
  • nutrition for body weaknesses

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