malnutrition

(mal″noo-tri′shŏn )

To hear audio pronunciation of this topic, purchase a subscription or log in.

[ mal- + nutrition ]
Any disease-promoting condition due to either an inadequate or an excessive exposure to nutrients, i.e., undernutrition or overnutrition. Common causes of malnutrition are inadequate calorie consumption; inadequate intake of essential vitamins, minerals, or other micronutrients; improper absorption and distribution of foods within the body; overeating; and intoxication by nutrient excesses. SEE TABLE: Physical Signs of Malnutrition; and names of specific nutritional disorders, e.g., obesity, pellegra, scurvy.
Worldwide, malnutrition is a disease that results typically from inadequate consumption of foods, esp. proteins, iron, and vitamins. In industrialized nations, overnutrition is more common than undernutrition. In the U.S., 50% of the population is considered to be overweight, and 22% have a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m² and are obese. Undernutrition in Western nations typically results from poverty, alcoholism, chronic illnesses, or extreme dieting.

Physical Signs of Malnutrition

Infants and Children	Adolescents and Adults
Lack of subcutaneous fat	Nasolabial sebaceous plugs
Wrinkling of skin on light stroking	Sores at angles of mouth, cheilosis
Poor muscle tone	Vincent's angina
Pallor	Minimal changes in tongue color or texture
Rough skin (toad skin)	Red, swollen lingual papillae
Hemorrhage of newborn, vitamin K deficiency	Glossitis
Bad posture	Papillary atrophy of tongue
Nasal area is red and greasy	Stomatitis
Sores at angles of mouth, cheilosis	Spongy, bleeding gums
Rapid heartbeat	Muscle tenderness in extremities
Red tongue	Poor muscle tone
Square head, wrists enlarged, rib beading	Loss of vibratory sensation
Vincent's angina, thrush	Increase or decrease of tendon reflexes
Serious dental abnormalities	Hyperesthesia of skin
Corneal and conjunctival changes	Purpura
	Dermatitis: facial butterfly, perineal, scrotal, vulval
	Thickening and pigmentation of skin over bony prominences
	Nonspecific vaginities
	Follicular hyperkeratosis of extensor surfaces of extremities
	Rachitic chest deformity
	Anemia not responding to iron
	Fatigue of visual accommodation
	Vascularization of cornea
	Conjunctival changes

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.