Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “KWASHIORKOR”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Serum carnitine in children with kwashiorkor.

Concentrations of free and acylcarnitine were measured in serum of children with kwashiorkor and compared with those obtained for well nourished children of similar age. The mean values (S.E.) for both free and acylcarnitine were significantly lower in the kwashiorkor group [32.6 (6.2) and 8.1 (2.2), respectively] than in the controls [53.2 (2.9) and 13.8 (3.1), respectively]. Serum albumin was also low in kwashiorkor patients, but there was no significant correlation with carnitine values.

Beta-Globulins↗
PubMed1988

Climatic conditions and kwashiorkor in Mumias: a retrospective analysis over a 5-year period.

Hospital records from a rural hospital in Kenya were retrospectively analysed for the total monthly admissions for kwashiorkor and all other forms of malnutrition over a 5-year period. These figures were related to the climatic conditions that prevailed during the year as derived from the records of a meteorological station in the area. The peak prevalence for kwashiorkor coincided each year with the season during which relative humidity was highest. The prevalence of kwashiorkor is discussed in relation to variable aflatoxin formation, which is influenced by seasonal changes in weather conditions.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Plasma zinc, copper, selenium, ferritin and whole blood manganese concentrations in children with kwashiorkor in the acute stage and during refeeding.

Plasma zinc, copper, selenium, ferritin and whole blood manganese concentrations were measured in 22 children with kwashiorkor on admission to hospital and on days 5, 10 and 30 of refeeding. Twenty similarly aged, healthy, well nourished children served as controls. The mean (SEM) zinc, copper and selenium concentrations of 7.5 (0.93), 10.8 (0.64) and 0.29 (0.02) mumol/l, respectively, in the children with kwashiorkor on admission were all significantly lower than the values of 13.7 (0.66), 25.6 (1.72) and 0.72 (0.04) mumol/l in the controls. In contrast, the erythrocyte manganese level of 1.67 (0.09) micrograms/gHb and the median ferritin concentration of 293 micrograms/dl were significantly higher than in the controls. After 30 days there was full clinical recovery with significant weight gain and a return of the plasma albumin, caeruloplasmin, copper and ferritin to normal. However, manganese remained elevated and zinc and selenium concentrations remained significantly low. Our results suggest that nutritional rehabilitation of children with kwashiorkor is incomplete by 30 days and cannot be judged purely by a return of the plasma proteins to normal. Addition of selected trace elements to the diet may hasten full recovery.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

The electrocardiographic changes in kwashiorkor.

An electrocardiogram (ECG), serum electrolytes, serum albumin, haematocrit and cardiothoracic ratio were recorded in 90 Nigerian children with kwashiorkor and 90 age- and sex-matched controls. The ECG abnormalities observed among the study group included sinus tachycardia (91%), low QRS amplitude (100%) and prolonged QTc intervals (17%). Other ECG abnormalities noted were short QTc intervals (three children), prolonged PR intervals (four children) and right axis deviation (two children). The mean serum sodium, potassium, calcium, albumin, haematocrit and cardiothoracic ratio were significantly lower in children with kwashiorkor than in the controls (p < 0.001). The correlation between the QRS amplitude and serum potassium and calcium was poor (p > 0.05). Also, there was poor correlation between heart rate and haematocrit (p > 0.05) and between QTc intervals and serum calcium and potassium (p > 0.05). However, the correlation between the QRS amplitude and cardiothoracic ratio was good (r = 0.91, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that the ECG changes in kwashiorkor are due to myocardial atrophy.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1977

Defective local leukocyte mobilization in children with kwashiorkor.

The Rebuck window technique was used to determine the functional integrity of the inflammatory response in nine children with kwashiorkor. The total numbers of leukocytes mobilized into skin abrasions were similar between kwashiorkor and control patients. However, children with kwashiorkor showed significantly delayed and decreased macrophage migration and increased polymorphonuclear leukocyte migration. These defects of leukocyte mobilization were corrected with nutritional repair.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term effects of early kwashiorkor compared with marasmus. I. Physical growth and sexual maturation.

Physical growth and sexual maturation were measured in a follow-up study of Barbadian girls and boys aged 11-18 years with histories of kwashiorkor (n = 54) or marasmus (n = 56) in their first year of life. They were compared with healthy neighborhood children matched by sex and age who had normal patterns of growth in early childhood (n = 59). Girls with histories of marasmus had significant delays in the onset of menarche compared with healthy comparison girls. However, their rate of growth during the previous 2 years was accelerated, and the differences in size were smaller than at the earlier testing, confirming catch-up. This pattern was not evident for girls with histories of kwashiorkor, who did not differ from the healthy comparison girls on either onset of menarche, Tanner ratings of sexual maturation, or measures of physical growth. In contrast, boys with histories of kwashiorkor or marasmus did not differ from healthy comparison boys in physical growth or Tanner ratings at these ages.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term effects of early kwashiorkor compared with marasmus. II. Intellectual performance.

Intellectual performance including IQ (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and conservation was measured at ages 11-18 years in a follow-up study of Barbadian girls and boys who had histories of kwashiorkor (n = 53) or marasmus (n = 55) in their first year of life. They were compared with healthy neighborhood children matched by sex and age who had normal patterns of growth in early childhood (n = 58). On both IQ and conservation tests, children with previous kwashiorkor or marasmus had similar scores, which were significantly lower than scores of healthy comparison children. These findings were examined in relationship to current environmental conditions, which were similar in children with histories of kwashiorkor or marasmus and somewhat less advantaged than those of the comparison children. The effect of early malnutrition and related conditions at the time of episode still emerged as significant even when the current environmental factors were controlled for.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Severe undernutrition in Jamaica. Kwashiorkor and marasmus: the disease of the weanling.

The syndromes of severe undernutrition, marasmus and kwashiorkor, have causes related to the interplay of social and medical considerations in the society. Kwashiorkor supervenes when the individual is exposed to a level of stress that exceeds the body's ability to cope. One final common pathway, through which a variety of environmental factors exert an effect, may be associated with oxidant damage to cells. In kwashiorkor there is a severe decrease in the level of both oxidised and reduced glutathione in the red cell. This could be caused by a decreased production, increased consumption or a combination of the two. This is discussed with specific reference to the metabolism of glycine and the possible causal relationship to the pathophysiology of the disease process.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1992

Reversible cerebral shrinkage in kwashiorkor: an MRI study.

Protein energy malnutrition is associated with cerebral atrophy which may be detrimental to intellectual development. The aim of this study was to document the anatomical abnormalities which lead to the appearance of cerebral atrophy using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the acute stage of kwashiorkor and to monitor changes during nutritional rehabilitation. Twelve children aged 6 to 37 months requiring admission to hospital for the treatment of kwashiorkor were studied. The children were evaluated clinically, biochemically, and by MRI of their brains on admission and 30 and 90 days later. Brain shrinkage was present in every child on admission. White and grey matter appeared equally affected and the myelination was normal for age. At 90 days, the cerebral changes had resolved in nine and improved substantially in the remainder, by which time serum proteins and weight for age were within the normal range. The findings of this study suggest that brain shrinkage associated with kwashiorkor reverses rapidly with nutritional rehabilitation.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1972

Nitro blue tetrazolium test in children with kwashiorkor with a comment on the use of latex particles in the test.

The nitro blue tetrazolium test was applied on neutrophils from children with kwashiorkor and from control children. The percentage of formazan cells formed in the kwashiorkor patients was significantly less than in the control group in spite of the presence of associated infections in the former. A direct correlation exists between the percentage of formazan cell formation and total serum proteins, albumin, and haemoglobin. These findings may reflect a decreased bactericidal activity of neutrophils in kwashiorkor. The use of latex particles is an unnecessary technical refinement of the test.

Blood Bactericidal Activity↗
PubMed1992

Effects of kwashiorkor malnutrition on measured capillary filtration rate in forearm.

This study investigated the effects of kwashiorkor malnutrition on blood tissue fluid exchange by measuring the rate of capillary filtration (CFR) in response to a 60-mmHg increment in venous pressure in the forearms of 1- to 3-yr-old native African children within the Transkei Homeland. They were divided into the following subject groups: kwashiorkor patients (K); kwashiorkor patients who were at various stages of recovery (RK); marasmus patients (M); patients with edema of nonkwashiorkor origin (E); and control children (C). Measurements of CFR were significantly lower in the K subjects compared with any of the other groups (P less than 0.05), whereas, the RK, M, E, and C subjects were not significantly different from each other. This latter finding indicates that the lower CFR of the K patients is reversible and is not due to malnutrition or edema per se. Measurements of forearm cutaneous blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in C and K subjects showed only a slightly lower value for the K patients (P greater than 0.20), and there was no relationship between CFR and LDF for either group (r = 0.073). These results suggest that the lower CFR of the K patients is not secondary to peripheral vasoconstriction.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1979

Some observations on the properties of precipitating antibody to Staphylococcus aureus in children with kwashiorkor.

Using three relatively sensitive immunochemical assay procedures, we were unable to detect either precipitating or hemagglutinating antibodies to food antigens in sera from normal and kwashiorkor Nigerian children. However, antibody to Staphylococcus aureus, a common pathogenic bacteria in the tropics, could be detected in the sera of 28 of 30 control children but in only 7 of 30 kwashiorkor cases, suggesting that there is an impairment to specific antibody production in children with malnutrition. Comparative biologic and physicochemical studies carried out on precipitating antibodies to S. aureus isolated from normal and kwashiorkor subjects showed that the antibody from malnourished individuals fixed complement less readily and was deficient in some essential amino acids. These defects might in part explain why children with protein-energy malnutrition are more susceptible to infection in spite of the fact that they have normal serum immunoglobulin concentrations.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2001

Kwashiorkor in patients with AIDS.

Kwashiorkor, a form of severe protein-energy malnutrition that entails loss of lean body weight, occurs endemically among children in many parts of the world but also has been documented in adults. We report a case of kwashiorkor in an HIV-positive adult male. Cutaneous findings are striking, and skin, hair, and nails are affected. Although kwashiorkor occurs in patients with HIV-AIDS, the skin manifestations have not been emphasized in the dermatologic literature. Indeed, dermatologists may play a vital role in diagnosing this treatable condition.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1978

The effects of kwashiorkor serum on lymphocyte transformation in vitro.

The serum from twelve children with kwashiorkor was deficient in its ability to support lymphocyte transformation in vitro, whereas lymphocytes from these children responded to phytohaemagglutinin and al-ogeneic lymphocytes in a relatively normal manner when cultured in normal serum. This serum abnormality improved with therapy and could not be clearly correlated with the degree of malnutrition, the presence or absence of infection or other laboratory manifestations of kwashiorkor. These observations indicate that defective cellular immune reactions in kwashiorkor may be symptomatic of a lack of some humoral factor and do not necessarily reflect an intrinsic cellular defect.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1991

The dermatosis of kwashiorkor in young children.

A characteristic dermatosis is often seen in young children suffering from kwashiorkor, one of the severe forms of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). The skin lesions usually first occur in areas subject to friction or pressure, for example the groin, behind the knees, on the buttocks, and at the elbows; in advanced cases, the dermatosis may be almost anywhere on the body--trunk, limbs, or head. Darkly pigmented patches form, and these may peel or desquamate, rather like old, sun-baked blistered paint. This has led to the terms "peeling paint" or "flaky paint" dermatosis. Underneath these flakes are atrophic depigmented areas that may resemble a healing burn. This dermatosis does not occur in children with nutritional marasmus, the other life-threatening form of PEM. Kwashiorkor may be diagnosed and the condition be serious without any dermatosis being present. However, when "flaky paint" dermatosis is seen in a malnourished child with edema, it is pathognomonic of the disease kwashiorkor.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Aflatoxins in the livers of children with kwashiorkor in Ghana.

Autopsy liver specimens from 22 kwashiorkor children in Ghana were analysed for the presence of aflatoxins using both high performance liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography. Aflatoxin B1 was found in the livers of 20 subjects and aflatoxicol in the livers of the remaining two subjects. These results confirm previous findings of aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxicol in the livers of children with kwashiorkor and provide further evidence of associations between these toxic compounds and kwashiorkor which might have relevance to the aetiology and pathogenesis of this disease which as yet remain mysterious.

Aflatoxin B1↗
PubMed1979

Malnutrition and the family: deprivation in kwashiorkor.

The background to social and emotional deprivation is discussed and applied to a study of kwashiorkor in East African children. A group of 107 children with kwashiorkor was compared with 111 controls. Age, sex and tribe were all found to have significances of their own: fifty of each group were therefore matched for these three factors. Ten other factors were found to be significant in the background of children with kwashiorkor, all of which could be associated with social or emotional deprivation or both (see Table 14). It is concluded that, in childhood, sustained personal care and affection are essential to normal growth.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Long-term effects of kwashiorkor on psychomotor development.

The long-term effects of kwashiorkor on psychomotor development were assessed by means of 3 tests. A group of 31 children aged from 6 to 12 years, who had been hospitalized for the treatment of kwashiorkor during infancy, was age-matched with 2 control groups, consisting of a group of siblings and a group of yardmates, none of whom had been exposed to acute infantile malnutrition. The test scores for the groups were not significantly different. The results are discussed in the light of suggestions that marasmus has a more damaging effect on human development than kwashiorkor.

Black or African American↗