Category |
Common presentations of undernutrition |
Cause |
A. |
Marasmus, a disease characterized by stunting (severe calorie malnutrition) |
Insufficient height gain relative to age, long-term malnutrition, and poor health |
B. |
Wasting |
Insufficient weight gain relative to height, recent history of losing weight/acute malnutrition |
C. |
Underweight (severe protein malnutrition); loss of muscle is masked by fluid retention |
Insufficient weight gain relative to age or losing weight; and kwashiorkor |
D. |
Combinations of stunting and wasting |
Insufficient weight gain due to protein-calorie undernutrition |