Malnutrition is when your body is lacking nutrition. The symptoms of malnutrition vary due to the fact that there are different types of malnutrition.
Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor (the disease of the displaced child) which refers to a deficiency of protein usually found in children living in poverty. Symptoms include a swollen abdomen, diarrhea, failure to gain weight, vitiligo, and irritability. Kwashiorkor can be treated by giving the patient carbohydrates and proceeding to slowly introduce protein into the child's diet.
Source: Silver back academic media's year 9 sciPAD
Beriberi
Beriberi (also known as thiamine deficiency) is when your body hasn't had enough B-1 vitamins. There are two types of beriberi, wet beriberi, and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects your circulatory system, heart, and in extreme causes heart failure. Symptom includes waking up short breath, swollen lower legs, shortness of breath during physical activity, and rapid heart rate. Dry beriberi affects the nerves and possibly lead to a decrease in muscle strength, this can lead to muscle paralysis. Symptoms include decreased muscle function, pain, difficulty speaking, involuntary eye movement, paralysis, vomiting, mental confusion, and tingling or loss of feeling in feet and hands. Beriberi is treated with thiamine supplements prescribed by a doctor. Preventing beriberi is fairly simple, making sure you're eating a balanced diet and limiting your alcohol consumption.
Source: www.healthline.com
Goiter
Goiters are the enlargement of the thyroid which is located below your Adam's apple. A common cause of goiter is lack of iodine in your diet or over/underproduction of thyroid hormones. Goiters isn't life-threatening but it can cause irritation and constant coughing. Symptoms include swelling in the neck area, tight feeling in your throat, hoarseness, coughing, difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing. Treatments vary depending on size, smaller goiters will be approached with a wait and see method while larger ones will be seen with medication. If your goiter is causing quite a bit of irritation and has amassed to quite a large size, you may go into surgery. Another treatment that is used very rarely is radioactive iodine but this treatment could cause an underactive thyroid gland. To prevent attaining goiters you simply need to make sure you're having enough iodine but not too much.
Source: www.mayoclinic.org
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| Goiters |
Maramus is a severe form of malnutrition of vitamins and is commonly found in children living in poverty. Symptoms of marasmus is a loss of muscle mass, subcutaneous fat (a layer of fat under the skin), dry skin, brittle hair, chronic diarrhea, respiratory infections, intellectual disability, and stunted growth. Marasmus is life threating and treatment is a slow process, usually beginning with skim milk powder mixed with boiling water. Slowly vegetable oils will be added and the child will eventually be introduced to a balanced diet. Source: www.healthline.com
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| Credit: My Mobil Doc |
Scurvy is cause by a lack of vitamin C in the body and can happen to anyone. There are many symptoms throughout the stages of scurvy and because of this I'll only list ones that occur 1 - 3 months. The reason is because these symptoms are much more easier to notice rather than something that could occur for any reason. So, anyway symptoms include anamia (when the blood lacks red blood cells), gingivitis (red, soft, and tender gums that bleed easily), bleeding under the skin, bruise-like bumps around hair follicles with hairs (usually on shins) that appear cork screwed and break easily, tooth decay, tender swollen joints, shortness of breath, chest pains, eye dryness, reduced wound healing, light sensitivity, blurred vision, mood swings, gastrointestinal bleeding, and headaches. Treatment varies but people taking treatment for scurvy recover fairly quickly.
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