Marasmus: An Update and Review of Literature - Abstract
Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition in children mostly occurring in developing countries. It is an important cause of less than 5 mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Due to energy and protein deficiency the child’s fat and muscles are reduced significantly resulting in severe wasting and only skin and bone becomes visible. Marasmic child may develop edema called marasmic-kwashiorkor. Inadequate dietary intake of protein and energy rich diet due to poverty or lack of nutrition knowledge, inadequate mother and child health practice, poor health infrastructure, low birth weight and suffering frequently from various diseases are the important causes of marasmus. Marasmic children are vulnerable to various complications including various infectious disease, diarrhoea, hypoglycaemia, hypothermia, micronutrient deficiency (vitamin A, zinc, copper, iron etc.). Marasmic children must be treated appropriately to prevent morbidity and mortality. Forty case of management of marasmus is in important cause of treatment failure and consequently case fatality. Marasmic children without complication can be managed by community based management. While marasmic with complication were death rate are very high should be managed preferably at facility treatment at felicity based management comprises 7-steps of inpatient care (stabilization phase) and after that child can be transfer to community based care. In community children are given therapeutic food and routine medicine to treat simple medical condition at an outpatient community based center. Appropriate case management of marasmus by standard protocolized management with or without complication can reduces case fatality and improves health status marasmic children.