Majority (82%) of children with SAM were
marasmus whereas 18% children had edematous malnutrition.
Some children developed kwashiorkor and some
marasmus, but there was no quantitative and qualitative difference between their diets.
Amazingly, kwashiorkor,
marasmus, and mixed-types of malnutrition are not uncommon.
Severe wasting is clinically called
marasmus (the word comes from Greek, meaning wasting), which is a condition of chronic semi-starvation resulting from a deficiency in calories.
Marasmus and Kwashiorkor are only a tip of an iceberg indicating severe malnutrition.
Among HIV-positive children with severe acute malnutrition, those with
marasmus have an increased mortality compared to HIV-negative children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Letter: Evolution of kwashiorkor and
marasmus. Lancet (London, England).
Its leaves are crushed to make a concoction that treats scurvy and
marasmus. Sap from young leaves treats epilepsy and recurrent malaria.
Objectives: To determine the levels and possible role of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFa, IL-1 and IL-6 in children with clinical protein energy malnutrition (kwashiorkor, marasmic kwashiorkor or
marasmus) alone and in combination with malaria in Western Kenya.
Comment: We do not commonly see instances of
marasmus in today's medical scene.
Nutritional bone deseases (3-5,7) Total patients with nutritional bone disease 213,760 (52) Vitamin D deficiency osteomalacia 75,600 (35.3) Vitamin D deficiency rickets 16,300 (7.6) Congenital vitamin D deficiency rickets (newborns of osteomalacia mothers) 3 (0.1) Vitamin D deficiency rickets in breast fed infants (newborns of osteomalacia mothers) 972 (0.5) Dietary calcium deficiency (critical years of growth) 86,800 (40.6) Dietary calcium deficiency (adults, premenopausal) 18,580 (8) Calcium and vitamin D deficiency (elderly people) 14,205 (6.6) Protein energy malnutrition (kwashiorkor,
marasmus) 1,300 (0.6) Dietary calcium deficiency rickets None Dietary phosphate deficiency rickets None Figures in parantheses are percentage value (5).
The number of children admitted with kwashiorkor, measles, gastroenteritis and
marasmus between 1983 and 1991 (group I) was compared with similar data for the period 1993 - 2002 (group 2).