acute undernutrition
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GC: n

S: NCBI – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15252965 (last access: 27 July 2015); EC – https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/humanitarian-aid/nutrition_en (last access: 17 November 2024).

N: 1. – acute (adj): late 14c., originally of fevers and diseases, “coming quickly to a crisis” (opposed to chronic), from Latin acutus “sharp, pointed,” figuratively “shrill, penetrating; intelligent, cunning,” past participle of acuere “to sharpen” (literal and figurative), from PIE root *ak- “be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce.”

It was also used of humors (early 15c.). The meaning “ending in a sharp point” is from 1560s; the sense of “sharp or penetrating in intellect” is from 1580s. Of feelings, pains, etc., “intense,” 1727. As a noun, early 15c. of fevers; c. 1600 as “an acute accent.” Related: Acutely; acuteness.

– undernutrition (n): The first known use of undernutrition was in 1876.

  • Deficient bodily nutrition due to inadequate food intake or faulty assimilation.

2. There are four forms of under nutrition:

  • Acute malnutrition or Wasting = acute undernutrition.
  • Chronic Malnutrition or Stunting;
  • Underweight;
  • Micronutrient deficiencies.

3. Wasting or acute malnutrition is a form of undernutrition caused by a decrease in food consumption and/or illness that results in sudden weight loss or oedema. Children with acute malnutrition have low weight for height. They may also have nutritional oedema and other related pathological clinical signs.

Children with acute malnutrition have weakened immune systems and are at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases. Those that survive could face lifelong growth and development challenges. They risk facing a future marked by illness, poor school results, and poverty with ripple effects across generations.

Child wasting – defined as low weight for height – is the most dangerous form of undernutrition. Severe wasting is the deadliest form, as severely wasted children are 12 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child.

4. Cultural Interrelation: The Riddle of Malnutrition – The Long Arc of Biomedical and Public Health Interventions in Uganda (2017) by Jennifer Tappan.

S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=acute+undernutrition (last access: 17 November 2024); MW – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undernutrition (last access: 17 November 2024). 2. FAO – https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/nutrition/docs/policies_programmes/CAADP/southern_africa/presentations/DAY1_Nutrition_Situation_Analysis.pdf (last access: 17 November 2024); FCB. 3. WHO – https://www.who.int/news/item/12-01-2023-urgent-action-needed-as-acute-malnutrition-threatens-the-lives-of-millions-of-vulnerable-children (last access: 17 November 2024). 4. OhioUP – https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780821422465/the-riddle-of-malnutrition/ (last access: 17 November 2024).

SYN: acute malnutrition, wasting.

S: FAO – https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/nutrition/docs/policies_programmes/CAADP/southern_africa/presentations/DAY1_Nutrition_Situation_Analysis.pdf (last access: 17 November 2024); WHO – https://www.who.int/news/item/12-01-2023-urgent-action-needed-as-acute-malnutrition-threatens-the-lives-of-millions-of-vulnerable-children (last access: 17 November 2024).

CR: cachexia, chronic hunger, famine, hunger, inanition, kwashiorkor, malnutrition, marasmus, undernourishment, undernutrition.