A disease of poor nutrition following a diet lacking adequate protein. Children 1-5 years vulnerable when fed too much starch, sugar and milk. Growth is retarded, hair scanty and skin unhealthy.
Symptoms. Feeble appetite, irritable bowel, oedema, nervous irritability.
Alternatives. Teas. Alfalfa, Nettles, Oats, Betony, Red Clover. Irish Moss.
Tablets/capsules. Echinacea, Kelp, Slippery Elm, Seaweed and Sarsaparilla.
Formula. Echinacea 2; Gentian 1; Ginger 1. Dose – Powders: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon). Liquid Extracts: one 5ml teaspoon. Tinctures: two 5ml teaspoons. Thrice daily before meals. Diet. High protein. Sugar-free. Salt-free. Slippery Elm gruel.
Supplementation. All vitamins. Intramuscular injections of B12. Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium.
A severe form of malnutrition in young children that occurs principally in poor rural areas in the tropics. Affected children have stunted growth and a puffy appearance due to oedema. The liver often enlarges, dehydration may develop, and the child loses resistance to infection, which may have fatal consequences. The more advanced stages are marked by jaundice, drowsiness, and a fall in body temperature. Initially, the child is frequently fed with small amounts of milk, and vitamin and mineral tablets. A nutritious diet is then gradually introduced. Most treated children recover, but those less than 2 years old may suffer from permanently stunted growth.
One of the most important causes of ill health and death among children in the tropics. It is predominantly a de?ciency disease due to a diet short of protein; there is also some evidence of a lack of the so-called essential fatty acids. It affects typically the small child weaned from the breast and not yet able to cope with an adult diet, or for whom an adequate amount of ?rst-class protein is not available, and it is mainly found in the less well-developed countries.
The onset of the disease is characterised by loss of appetite, often with diarrhoea and loss of weight. The child is ?abby, the skin is dry, and the hair is depigmented, dry, sparse and brittle. At a later stage OEDEMA develops and the liver is often enlarged. In the early stages the condition responds rapidly to a diet containing adequate ?rst-class protein, but in the later stages this must be supplemented by careful nursing, especially as the child is very prone to infection.
Severe protein deficiency disease seen in malnourished children.
n. a form of malnutrition due to a diet deficient in protein and energy-producing foods, common among certain African tribes. Kwashiorkor develops when, after prolonged breast feeding, the child is weaned onto an inadequate traditional family diet. The diet is such that it is physically impossible for the child to consume the required quantity in order to obtain sufficient protein and energy. Kwashiorkor is most common in children between the ages of one and three years. The symptoms are *oedema, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, general discomfort, and apathy; the child fails to thrive and there is usually associated gastrointestinal infection.
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