What is Malnutrition?

Malnutrition is a condition that occurs when the body is deficient in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for the healthy functioning of tissues and organs. Malnutrition occurs in people who are undernourished or overnourished. The United States suffers from malnutrition as a result of nutritional imbalances rather than malnutrition. Malnutrition occurs when essential nutrients do not get enough or are removed faster than they can be replaced. Binge eating occurs in people who eat too much, eat the wrong foods, exercise too little, or take too many vitamins or other dietary supplements. The risk of overeating increases if you are more than 20% overweight or eat a diet high in fat and salt.

About 1% of American children are chronically malnourished.

Symptoms of Malnutrition

Malnourished children may be small for their age, thin or bloated, lethargic, and have weakened immune systems. Eating disorders can affect every system in the body and the sense of sight, taste, and smell. They can also cause anxiety, mood swings, and other psychiatric symptoms.

Other symptoms include:

• Pale, thick and dry skin
• bruises easily
• skin rash
• changes in skin pigmentation
• Thin hair that is tightly coiled and pulled out easily
• Painful joints
• soft and soft bones
• gums that bleed easily
• A tongue that may be swollen, wrinkled, or cracked
• night blindness
• Increased sensitivity to light and glare

What causes malnutrition?

Malnutrition is usually caused by insufficient nutrients. This can be due to certain medical conditions that prevent the body from absorbing nutrients. You may have trouble getting enough nutrients if:

• limited financial resources.
• Access to nutritious food is limited. A condition that makes eating difficult, such as nausea or difficulty swallowing.
• Medical conditions that deplete calories, such as chronic diarrhea or cancer. Additional caloric needs, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, or childhood.
• Mental illness that causes you to stop eating, such as depression or dementia. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
• Malabsorption disorders such as pancreatic insufficiency or inflammatory bowel disease. It is a condition that requires long-term enteral nutrition.
• A very restrictive or unpleasant diet chosen by someone else. Overeating is caused by consuming more nutrients than necessary. You can do this if:
• Low nutrition food options. sedentary lifestyle.
• A condition that slows your metabolism, such as hypothyroidism. The hormonal imbalance interferes with hunger and satiety signals.
• chronic stress. anxiety or depression.
• food syndrome. Chronic excessive use of dietary supplements.

Diagnostic

General appearance, behavior, body fat distribution, and organ function can alert doctors to malnutrition. Patients can ask to record what they have eaten over some time. X-rays can detect bone density, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, and damage to the heart and lungs. Blood and urine tests measure the patient's vitamins, minerals, and waste.

Treatment

People who cannot eat, absorb, or take nutrients by mouth may be given intravenously (parenteral nutrition) or through a tube into the gastrointestinal tract (enteral nutrition). Tube feeding is often used to feed people with burns or inflammatory bowel disease. In this procedure, a thin tube is inserted through the nose and gently guided down the throat until it reaches the stomach or small intestine. If prolonged tube feeding is required, a tube can be inserted directly into the stomach or small intestine through an abdominal incision.

How to prevent malnutrition?

Malnutrition is a global problem. Poverty and lack of nutrition knowledge are the main causes in both developed and developing countries. We can help control malnutrition through better global education and access to disadvantaged groups, including access to clean water, nutritious whole foods, and medicines. Children and the elderly who cannot live alone are especially at risk, so more attention should be paid to their diet and health. The best way to prevent malnutrition is to eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of nutritious whole foods. If you get enough of all the nutrients your body needs, you're less likely to overeat to meet those needs. Deficiencies of some micronutrients are common even in very standard diets. Blood tests are one way to find out if micronutrient supplementation is beneficial. Your doctor will help you determine the right dose.