Malnutrition
When the body does not receive the proper amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it requires to maintain healthy tissues and organ function, malnutrition results.
A word used to describe any situation when the body cannot have enough nutrition to function properly. Malnutrition can range in severity from mild to severe and even fatal. It can result from starvation, where a person consumes not enough calories, or it can result from dietary deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamin C. Malnutrition can also happen when a person has a medical condition that prevents them from adequately digesting or absorbing nutrients from their meals.
Under Nutrition
People who are either overfed or underfed develop malnutrition. Undernutrition results from consuming insufficient amounts of necessary nutrients or from using or excreting them more quickly than is healthy.
Young children, adolescents, and infants all require more nourishment. Women who are nursing or pregnant also do. Diarrhoea, profuse perspiration, severe bleeding (haemorrhage), or kidney failure can all hasten the loss of nutrients. Age-related illnesses and ailments, extreme dieting, food allergies, severe injuries, significant illness, a protracted hospital stay, or substance misuse can all limit nutrient intake.
Protein-energy malnutrition is the major cause of death in children in underdeveloped nations. A lack of calories from proteins, vitamins, and minerals leads to this kind of malnutrition. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) can affect children who are already undernourished when their needs for protein and vital minerals increase due to rapid growth, infection, or disease. These necessary minerals are classified as trace elements or micronutrients.
Kwashiorkor and Marasmus are two examples of protein-energy malnutrition that have been mentioned. Kwashiorkor develops when there is a fair or adequate calorie intake but insufficient protein intake, whereas marasmus develops when there is an insufficient calorie and protein intake.
Compared to 50% of children in southeast Asia, only 1% of children in the United States are chronically malnourished. A quarter of all malnourished children worldwide live in Africa, with over two thirds of them in Asia.
Over Nutrition
In the United States, dietary imbalances or excesses linked to many of the top causes of death and disability have typically taken the role of nutritional deficiencies. Overeating, eating an excessive amount of the incorrect foods, not exercising enough, or taking an excessive amount of vitamins or other dietary supplements can all lead to overnutrition.
Being over 20% overweight, eating a diet heavy in fat and salt, and taking large amounts of any of the following substances can all raise the risk of overnutrition.
- Nicotinic acid (niacin) to lower elevated cholesterol levels
- Vitamin B6 to relieve Premenstrual Syndrome
- Vitamin A to clear up skin problems
- Iron or other trace minerals not prescribed by a doctor.
Any organ system in the body as well as the perceptions of taste, smell, and sight can be impacted by nutritional problems. Additionally, they could cause anxiety, mood swings, and other mental problems. Nutrient levels in the blood and tissues start to change when malnutrition is present. Disease and mortality may occur after changes in enzyme levels, tissue abnormalities, and organ malfunction.
Causes and Symptoms
Causes and symptoms
In the United States, poverty and a lack of food are the main causes of malnutrition. 10% of all people living in low-income homes do not always have access to adequate, nourishing food. In 50% of surgical patients and in 48% of all hospital patients, protein-energy malnutrition is present.
A decline in appetite brought on by aging. One in four older Americans suffers from malnutrition, in part because they may become disinterested in food. Additionally, dementia-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease might make older people forget to eat.
Chronic illnesses, particularly those of the liver, kidneys, and intestines, are linked to an increased risk of malnutrition. Due to their inability to absorb essential nutrients like vitamins, calories, and iron, patients with chronic conditions including cancer, AIDS, intestinal parasites, and other gastric disorders may have fast weight loss and become vulnerable to malnutrition.
People who depend on drugs or alcohol are also more likely to be malnourished. These individuals frequently maintain subpar diets for extended periods of time, and alcohol or drug use’s effects on body tissues, particularly the liver, pancreas, and brain, decrease these individuals’ capacity to absorb nutrients.
Eating disorders
People who suffer from anorexia or bulimia may severely reduce their food intake, leading to malnutrition.
Food allergies
Finding food that they can digest may be difficult for some people who have food allergies. Additionally, individuals with food allergies may need more calories to maintain their weight.
Following bariatric (weight reduction) surgery, there may be a failure to absorb nutrients from meals. Bariatric surgery uses methods like stomach stapling (gastroplasty) and several intestinal bypass surgeries to help people eat less and lose weight. However, malnutrition is a potential side effect of bariatric surgery.
Symptoms
Malnutrition may be present if you unintentionally lose 10 pounds or more. People who are undernourished could be chubby or thin. Their pale, thick, dry, and easily bruising skin. Changes in pigmentation and rashes are frequent.
Thin, tightly curled hair that is easy to take out. Bones are fragile and delicate, and joints hurt. Gums might bleed easily. It’s possible for the tongue to be enlarged , shrivelled and cracked. Night blindness and heightened sensitivity to light and glare are examples of visual disturbances.
Other symptoms of malnutrition include:
- Anemia
- Diarrhea
- Disorientation
- Night blindness
- Irritability, anxiety, and attention deficits
- Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
- Loss of reflexes and lack of muscular coordination
- Muscle twitches
- Amenorrhea (cessation of menstrual periods)
- Scaling and cracking of the lips and mouth.
Malnourished children may be short for their age, thin, listless, and have weakened immune systems.
Diagnosis
The existence of malnutrition can be detected by a family doctor, internist, or nutrition specialist based on general appearance, behavior, body-fat distribution, and organ performance. Patients could be requested to keep track of their meals for a certain amount of time. X-rays can identify heart and lung damage, gastrointestinal problems, and bone density.
Vitamin, mineral, and waste product levels in the patient are assessed using blood and urine testing. Additional indicators of nutritional status include:
- Comparing a patient’s weight to standardized charts
- Calculating body mass index (BMI) according to a formula that divides height into weight
- Measuring skinfold thickness, or the circumference of the upper arm.
Treatment
A nutritional assessment is the first step in restoring normal nutritional status. A clinical nutritionist or registered dietician can use this technique to determine whether malnutrition is present, evaluate the disorder’s impacts, and create meals that will restore appropriate nutrition.
Patients who are unable to swallow food or who are unwilling to eat can get nutrition intravenously (parenteral nutrition) or through a tube placed in the GI tract (enteral nutrition).
Patients who have inflammatory bowel disease or who have suffered burns are frequently fed through tubes. A tiny tube is inserted via the nose and gently guided down the throat until it reaches the stomach or small intestine as part of this surgery. If long-term tube feeding is required, an abdominal incision can be used to insert the tube straight into the stomach or small intestine.
Tube feeding cannot always deliver adequate nutrients to patients who
- Are severely malnourished.
- Require surgery
- Are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
- Have been seriously burned
- Have persistent diarrhea or vomiting
- Whose gastrointestinal tract is paralyzed.
Intravenous feeding can supply some or all of the nutrients these patients need.
Prognosis
A person can lose up to 10% of their body weight without experiencing any negative side effects, but if they lose more than 40%, it is nearly always deadly. Heart failure, an electrolyte imbalance, or a low body temperature are the usual causes of death. The prognosis is worse for patients who exhibit semiconsciousness, chronic diarrhoea, jaundice, or low blood sodium levels.
Some kids who suffer from protein-energy malnutrition make a full recovery. Others experience a variety of health issues throughout their lives, such as mental retardation and a lack of intestinal absorption of nutrients. All malnourished individuals appear to have varying prognoses depending on their age, the length and severity of their malnutrition, and their overall health. Long-term problems and death seem to be most common in small children and the elderly.
Prevention
The best strategy to avoid early-childhood malnutrition is to breastfeed a child for at least six months. All Americans over the age of two are advised to follow the following advice from the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services:
- Consume plenty of fruits, grains, and vegetables.
- Eat a variety of foods that are low in fat and cholesterol and contain only moderate amounts of salt, sugars, and sodium
- Engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes, at least several times a week
- Achieve or maintain their ideal weight
- Use alcohol sparingly or avoid it altogether.
The existence of illnesses and disorders that could cause protein-energy malnutrition should be tested for in every patient admitted to a hospital. During long-term hospitalization or nursing home care, patients at higher-than-average risk for malnutrition should have more thorough evaluations and frequent reevaluations.