The Morbidity Patterns of Children with Severe Malnutrition: Morbidity Patterns of Children with Severe Malnutrition

Riffat  Farrukh; Shaheen  Masood; Qamar  Rizvi; Ibrahim  Shakoor; Sarwat  Sultana; Sultan  Mustafa

doi:10.54393/pbmj.v5i5.433

Authors

Riffat Farrukh Department of Pediatrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Medical and Dental College
Shaheen Masood Department of Pediatrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Medical and Dental College
Qamar Rizvi Department of Pharmacology, Hamdard University Karachi
Ibrahim Shakoor Department of Paediatrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Medical and Dental College
Sarwat Sultana Department of Community Medicine, Karachi Medical and Dental College
Sultan Mustafa Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi medical and dental college

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pbmj.v5i5.433

Keywords:

Morbidity, Weight Loss, Malnutrition, Metabolic Disorders, Infections

Abstract

Malnutrition is a widespread problem worldwide Objective: To identify the morbidity patterns of children with severe acute malnutrition Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Pediatric Unit-II of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a six-month duration from July 2021 to December 2021. Children aged 1 to 60 months with severe acute malnutrition (WHZ score <-3 SD) were selected. All patients were assessed for clinical symptoms, various disease states such as metabolic abnormalities, infections, congenital/hereditary anomalies, and outcomes such as left against medical advice (LAMA), stabilization, or death on discharge. Data was analyzed and collected using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 17. Results: A total of 150 children were admitted according to the admission criteria. The number of males was 85 (56.7%) and females 65 (43.3%), and the male to female ratio was 1.4: 1. 120 (80%) had severe wasting without edema and 30 (20%) had malnutrition with edema. The average length of stay was 10 + 3.6 days. The main incidence in children with MAS are diarrhea (46.7%), pneumonia (18.7%), sepsis (15.3%), and other diseases such as meningitis 5(3.3 %), severe skin infections, 7(4.7%), urinary tract infections 9(6%), and eye lesions due to vitamin A deficiency 2(1.3%). 13 (8.7%) patients had measles with diarrhea and pneumonia. Acute watery diarrhea was observed in 68(45.3%) of diarrhea cases. 21 (14%) children had congenital or hereditary defects. 9 (6%) had central nervous system disorders. Conclusions: The spectrum of incidence in hospitalized children with severe malnutrition includes both congenital or hereditary defects and infections. The sepsis and diarrhea with metabolic disturbances mainly contributed to the mortality.

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