Symptoms in children
Symptoms of malnutrition in a child can include: not growing or putting on weight at the expected rate (faltering growth) changes in behaviour, such as being unusually irritable, slow or anxious. low energy levels and tiring more easily than other children.
Symptoms of malnutrition
loss of appetite and lack of interest in food or fluids. unplanned weight loss - this might cause clothing, rings, watches or dentures to become loose. tiredness or low energy levels. reduced ability to perform everyday tasks like showering, getting dressed or cooking.
Not growing taller. Not outgrowing clothing sizes. Eating less than usual or having no interest in eating over an extended period of time (eating less at times can be normal at various ages and developmental levels) Not eating well because of stomach problems.
Poor infant and child nutrition can lead to deficiencies in essential micronutrients, which may cause a weakened immune system and lasting effects on children's growth and development.
Perhaps one of the most obvious signs of your baby being underfed is that they are gaining weight very slowly. Having thin arms or limbs is normal for every baby, even healthy babies have them at some point too. However, you might need to be more vigilant if their limbs or legs are still skinny as they grow.
Malnutrition Warning Signs
Lack of muscle mass. Swollen stomach (called Kwashiorkor) Fatigue and low energy levels. Lack of growth and low body weight (in children)
Clinical signs and symptoms of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) include the following: Poor weight gain. Slowing of linear growth. Behavioral changes - Irritability, apathy, decreased social responsiveness, anxiety, and attention deficits.
In order to determine whether a child is suffering from acute malnutrition you can assess the following: the weight of the child compared with reference child of the same height. whether the child is suffering from bilateral pitting oedema. the child's MUAC.
In addition to these physical consequences, malnutrition also results in psychosocial effects such as apathy, depression, anxiety and self-neglect.
Malnutrition can cause permanent, widespread damage to a child's growth, development and well-being. Stunting in the first 1,000 days is associated with poorer performance in school, both because malnutrition affects brain development, and also because malnourished children are more likely to get sick and miss school.
Inadequate brain growth explains why children who were malnourished as fetuses and infants suffer often lasting behavioral and cognitive deficits, including slower language and fine motor development, lower IQ, and poorer school performance.
As per WHO, Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in an infant less than 6 mo of age is defined as weight-for-length z-score (WLZ) < −3 or bilateral pitting edema. The basis for this definition is mostly indirect using data from older infants.
Such effects of malnutrition include increased vulnerability to diseases, developmental delays, stunted growth and even blindness.
What do these indicators tell us? The indicators stunting, wasting, overweight and underweight are used to measure nutritional imbalance; such imbalance results in either undernutrition (assessed from stunting, wasting and underweight) or overweight.
A GP can check if you're at risk of malnutrition by measuring your weight and height, and asking about any medical problems you have or any recent changes in your weight or appetite. If they think you could be malnourished, they may refer you to a healthcare professional such as a dietitian to discuss treatment.
The most helpful laboratory studies in assessing malnutrition in a child are hematological studies and laboratory studies evaluating protein status: Hematological studies should include a CBC count with RBC indices and a peripheral smear.
Fetal under-nutrition can occur because of an inadequate maternal diet, inability of the mother to mobilise and transport sufficient nutrients, or an impaired vascular and placental supply line to the fetus.
Severe acute malnutrition is defined by a very low weight for height (below -3 z scores1 of the median WHO growth standards), by visible severe wasting, or by the presence of nutritional oedema.
Signs Your Baby is Hungry
Head turning to look for the breast. Becoming more alert and active. Sucking on hands or lip smacking. Opening and closing mouth.
Although newborns generally sleep 16-18 hours each day, unusual sleepiness may be an indication that your baby is underfed. If you're having trouble waking your baby to eat or keeping your baby awake at the breast, try applying a cool, damp cloth to your baby's forehead and face.
When a baby is underfed, you may find the baby sleeping for extra hours than the usual hours of sleep. Babies who are fed well are active and alert. The amount of milk the mother makes depends upon the amount of milk the baby requires.