Why does malnutrition cause distended stomach

Starvation is one form of malnutrition. Malnutrition can result from the lack of one nutrient, such as vitamin A or iron. Kwashiorkor is a form of malnutrition caused by protein-deficient diets. Kwashiorkor results from a lack of protein in the diet and is found most often in countries affected by poverty, famine, inadequate food supply and lack of knowledge about proper diet. In poor countries, kwashiorkor often happens during natural disaster or political unrest.

In the United States, kwashiorkor rarely occurs in children except as the result of severe neglect and child abuse. The symptoms of kwashiorkor include skin pigment changes, fatigue, decreased muscle mass, failure to thrive, diarrhea, lethargy, rash, swelling, enlarged liver and protruding belly. Late stage kwashiorkor can cause shock. It usually begins in the legs, but can involve the whole body, including the face.

Kwashiorkor can be fatal if it's left untreated for too long because children become very vulnerable to infections. The main cause of kwashiorkor is not eating enough protein or other essential vitamins and minerals.

It's most common in developing countries with a limited food supply, poor hygiene, and a lack of education about the importance of giving babies and children an adequate diet. Kwashiorkor is rare in developed countries such as the UK, but it can occasionally happen as a result of severe neglect, long-term illness, a lack of knowledge about good nutrition, or a very restricted diet. Kwashiorkor can often be diagnosed based on a child's physical appearance and questions about their diet and care.

However, a blood test and urine test may be done to rule out other conditions. This can include tests to:. They found that the community of bacteria in the sick twin shifted toward that of well-nourished children.

But the change was temporary. When the children returned to a Malawian diet, the cohort of gut-dwelling microbes stopped normalizing—and often reverted to those present in the earlier malnourished state. Was the diet or the microbes to blame? To answer that question, the researchers took microbiomes from malnourished children with kwashiorkor, and microbiomes from healthy children, and transplanted them into the guts of sterile mice specially bred to be previously free of bacteria.

When these mice were fed a nutrient poor, Malawian-based diet, only mice with the kwashiorkor microbiome lost weight. When these mice ate the therapeutic diet they gained weight but then lost it again after switching back to a Malawian diet. But for children with a healthy batch of microbes, even a Malawian diet may provide enough nutrition.

Though more research is necessary, experts suspect that combating malnutrition and undernutrition will require more than just extra calories. We may need to spike therapeutic foods with good bacteria to create healthy microbiomes in malnourished kids. David A. Search for: 'pot belly' in Oxford Reference ». All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice.

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