Title of article :
Assessment and Management of Severe Malnutrition in Children
Author/Authors :
Antwi, S Department of Child Health - School of Medical Sciences - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology - Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital - Kumasi, Ghana
Abstract :
BACKGROUND: Severe malnutrition is a common cause of
morbidity and mortality among children less than five years of
age. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed
two manuals for the in-patient treatment of severe malnutrition.
However, these manuals are not widely distributed with the
result that most health practitioners caring for severely
malnourished children unknowingly use practices that, though
may be suitable for sick well nourished children, may be highly
dangerous for the severely malnourished child.
OBJECTIVE: This review article, based on the two WHO
manuals for in-patient treatment of severe malnutrition and
other relevant literature, seeks to offer the medical fraternity
the opportunity to abreast themselves with the assessment and
case management of children with severe malnutrition.
CONCLUSION: Health practitioners caring for children with
severe malnutrition should abreast themselves with the
recommended guidelines for assessment and management of
this common disorder
Keywords :
case fatality , reductive adaptation , management , assessment , Severe malnutrition
Journal title :
Astroparticle Physics
