Symptoms for malnutrition is a very important topic knowing fully well that healthy living requires full nutritional supply to the body to function and flourish at its best of which the lack of any important element in the body can result in unwanted health issues and as such, in this guide, you are going to learn and understand the following about malnutrition:
- Malnutrition definition
- Signs and symptoms of malnutrition
- Symptoms of malnutrition in the elderly
- What are the effects of malnutrition
- Diseases caused by malnutrition
- Malnutrition diagnosis
- What are causes of malnutrition
- Kwashiorkor disease is due to
- Malnutrition treatment
- Prevention for malnutrition
Malnutrition Definition
Malnutrition can be defined as a situation in which the body lacks all or some of the essential nutrients it requires to flourish. The seriousness of malnutrition ranges from minor to severe, which may cause irreversible damage even if the person recovers from it. Malnutrition occurs in a person gradually and is sometimes difficult to diagnose at first and can result in physical harm to the sufferer. Having the knowledge of the signs of malnutrition helps to start the treatment early before it gets out of hand.
In a situation where malnutrition is due to a lack of food, or nutritional needs, the sufferer is responsible to solve this problem by making available sufficient quantities of food that contain different nutritional values suitable to remedy the situation as well as prevent the reoccurrence by following the proper nutrition methods. When the case of malnutrition is as a result of negligence and eating disorders, the responsibility, in this case, should be directed to a physician who can prescribe the treatment method.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Malnutrition
There are several symptoms for malnutrition of which among the most notable signs of malnutrition are as follow:
- Tiredness, anxiety, and feeling restless
- Loss of appetite and not willing to eat and drink
- Feeling cold most of the time
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Wasting of muscle or body fat
- Depression
- Difficulty in wounds healing
- Increased risk of disease or infection
- Frequent exposure to postoperative complications
- Slow growth in children and weight loss
- Fatigue and loss of energy both in children and adults
- Slow to act and difficult to learn in children
What Are Causes Of Malnutrition?
There are some known causes and factors that result in malnutrition and the notable ones are:
1) Lack Of Food: This deficiency occurs when the body does not get one or more of the vital nutrients needed to carry out its functions normally, or due to poor absorption of the nutrients contained in the food despite the availability of the required quantity and elements in it. It is worthy of note that a deficiency in only one nutrient, such as a particular vitamin, is also considered malnutrition. Some of the most notable factors that lead to a lack of food intake are the following:
- Incidence of cancer
- Health problems that cause difficulty swallowing
- Liver problems
- Economic and social problems
- Taking some medications that cause nausea
Severe malnutrition caused by starvation or lack of food that usually occur in third world countries
2) Mental Health Problems: Among the major mental illnesses that can result in malnutrition are as follow:
- Depression
- Schizophrenia
- Dementia
- Anorexia nervosa
- Gastrointestinal diseases that cause problems in the absorption of food thereby leading to malnutrition.
Groups Most Likely At Risk Of Malnutrition
There are some groups of people that are more exposed to malnutrition and below is the list:
1) The Elderly: The inability to regulate nutritional needs, or poor absorption of nutrients due to aging, especially iron, may result in malnutrition in the elderly. Some of the symptoms of malnutrition in the elderly include weight loss, open to disease or infection, fatigue, and loss of energy, etc.
2) Children: Because of the high need for vital nutrients and energy for growth, infants and children of the growing age are more susceptible to the damage of malnutrition, resulting in emaciation, delayed growth and development, anemia, and signs of vitamin deficiency.
3) Chronic Disease Patients: Some diseases that are related to malabsorption of nutrients, or diseases that put stress on the body, are usually accompanied by loss of appetite which can result in a shortage of food and nutrients in the body.
4) Pregnant Women: As a result of the process of childbearing, the mother needs good nutrition to carry on the process of the pregnancy of which the lack of food and required nutrients may lead to premature birth. Importantly, the lack of folic acid in the pregnant woman’s diet can lead to congenital damage to the nervous system of the fetus, and not getting vitamin B12 would lead to a deficiency in this Vitamin in the infant.
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What Are The Effects Of Malnutrition
For sure, malnutrition can lead to many health complications of which among the main complications of malnutrition include the following:
- Having difficulty balancing salts and fluids inside the body
- Weakened immunity of the patient and the increased exposure to infection
- Prolonged healing of wounds or wound healing problems
- Having difficulty controlling body temperature
- In severe cases can result in kwashiorkor knowing that one of the major causes of kwashiorkor disease is due to malnutrition
Malnutrition Diagnosis
The first step in the case of diagnosing malnutrition is to visit the doctor and seek to find out the cause, and if the cause is as a result of digestive disorders or other diseases, then the following tests are required:
- Blood test
- An albumin test to measure the level of protein in the blood and to make sure that there are no kidney or liver diseases
- A test to measure questionable nutrients including iron
Malnutrition Treatment
The treatment of malnutrition is done according to what caused it. But in general, malnutrition is treated in the following ways:
1) Treatment Of Malnutrition In Minor Cases: In this case, the doctor asks patients to follow the below advice:
- Make sure to eat light meals between main meals
- Eating fortified food rich in protein
- Drinking and eating foods full of calories
- Avoiding excessive movement and staying at home to relax the body
However, in a situation where the previous advice did not meet the purpose, the doctor may prescribe nutritional supplements and drinks rich in calories and nutrients.
2) Treatment Of Severe Malnutrition: In a case where the patient is unable to eat orally or has a health problem that prevents swallowing, the doctor may install a feeding tube that enters from the nose directly into the stomach, and the patient may be fed intravenously.
Diseases Caused By Malnutrition
Some of the known diseases that can be caused by malnutrition include the following:
- Vitamin deficiency
- Kwashiorkor
- Anemia
- Mumps
- Marasmus
- Scurvy
- Rickets
- Beriberi
- Pellagra
Prevention For Malnutrition
Malnutrition can be prevented and avoided by following some simple tips such as:
- Drinking milk and eating dairy products
- Eating more vegetables and fruits
- Eating a diet rich in starchy foods like rice, bread, potatoes, and pasta
- Ensuring that the food you eat contains protein, and the most important foods rich in protein are fish, meat, eggs, and beans
Summary And Takeaway
We talked about the symptoms for malnutrition which is also the same thing as the signs of malnutrition covering different areas including malnutrition definition, symptoms of malnutrition in the elderly, what are the effects of malnutrition, diseases caused by malnutrition, malnutrition diagnosis, what are causes of malnutrition, kwashiorkor disease is due to, signs and symptoms of malnutrition, malnutrition treatment as well as prevention for malnutrition. Finally, it is worthy of note that malnutrition is a very dangerous condition for healthy living knowing that it can result in many health complications and also hinder your health from progressing due to its negative effects on health considering that it is the lack of the required nutrients and elements in the body of which without the proper amount of healthy nutrients in the body, your health will be at consistent risk which, therefore, requires you to eat healthily and avoid malnutrition by following the guidelines you learned in this article.
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