Malnutrition Symptoms causes diagnosis and treatment
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Causes of malnutrition include:unsuitable dietary choiceshaving a low incomedifficulty obtaining foodvarious physical and mental health conditions Undernutrition is one type of malnutrition. It occurs when the body does not get enough food and enough necessary nutrients. It can lead to:delayed growthlow weightwasting If a person does not get the right balance of nutrients, they can also have malnutrition. It is possible to have obesity with malnutrition. When a person has too little food, a limited diet, or a condition that stops their body from obtaining the right balance of nutrients, it can severely impact their health. In some cases, this can become life threatening. This article looks at malnutrition in detail, including the causes, symptoms, and treatments. What is malnutrition Share on PinterestMaskot/Getty ImagesMalnutrition is an imbalance in dietary intake. It occurs when a person has too much or too little food or essential nutrients. A person with malnutrition may lack vitamins, minerals, and other essential substances that their body needs to function. People may become malnourished if they do not eat enough food overall. However, people who eat plenty but do not have enough variation in their diet can also become malnourished. Malnutrition can lead to:short- and long-term health problemsslow recovery from wounds and illnessesa higher risk of infection Some deficiencies can trigger specific health problems. For example: Lack of vitamin A Around the world, many children develop vision problems due to a lack of vitamin A. Lack of vitamin C A lack of vitamin C can result in scurvy. Scurvy is rare in the United States (U.S.), but it can develop if a person does not have a varied diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables all contain vitamin C. People who are particularly at risk of scurvy include:older adultsyoung childrenthose who consume a lot of alcoholsome people with certain mental health conditions An overall deficiency Malnutrition can lead to marasmus, which is a severe form of malnutrition. Marasmus is a deficiency of protein and overall energy intake. A person with marasmus will have very little muscle or fat on their body. Overnutrition Overnutrition is another type of malnutrition. It occurs when a person takes in more nutrients than they need. The result may be an accumulation of body fat from the excess nutrients, resulting in overweight or obesity. Overnutrition has several health implications. People who have overweight or obesity are at greater risk of:heart diseasehigh blood pressurediabetescancerhigh cholesterol The rate of overnutrition is growing worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in 2020, 5.7% of children under 5 were overweight, an increase from 5.4% in 2000. In addition, the number of adults with obesity almost tripled worldwide from 1975 to 2016. Symptoms Some signs and symptoms of malnutrition include:weight lossa lack of appetite or interest in food or drinktiredness and irritabilityan inability to concentratealways feeling colddepressionloss of fat, muscle mass, and body tissuea higher risk of getting sick and taking longer to heallonger healing time for wounds Eventually, a person may also experience heart failure. Symptoms in adults vs children Children may present with different malnutrition symptoms than adults. In children, there may be:a lack of growth and low body weighttiredness and a lack of energyirritability and anxietyslow behavioral and intellectual development, possibly resulting in learning difficulties Treatment is possible. In some cases, however, malnutrition can have long-term effects. Causes Malnutrition can occur for various reasons. The sections below outline these potential causes in more detail. Low intake of food Some people develop malnutrition because there is not enough food available, or because they have difficulty eating or absorbing nutrients. This can happen as a result of:cancerliver diseaseconditions that cause nausea or make it difficult to eat or swallowtaking medications that make eating difficult — due to nausea, for example Mouth problems such as poorly fitting dentures may also contribute to malnutrition. Mental health conditions Undernutrition or malnutrition can affect people with:depressiondementiaschizophreniaanorexia nervosa Eating disorders can severely affect the quality of life of people living with these conditions and those close to them. Early intervention and treatment greatly improve the likelihood of recovery. Anyone who suspects that they or a loved one has an eating disorder can contact the National Eating Disorder Association for advice and support via:phone or text at 800-931-2237online chat, by going to this link These services are only open during specific hours. Someone in crisis can text “NEDA” to 741741 at any time to get support from a trained volunteer at Crisis Text Line. Alternatively, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) run a Disaster Distress Helpline that people can contact on 800-985-5990 for 24-7 support. Many other resources are available, including:National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated DisordersThe Alliance for Eating Disorder AwarenessF.E.A.S.T., who provide support and educational resources to friends and family who want to help someone living with an eating disorder Social and mobility problems Factors that can affect a person’s eating habits and potentially lead to malnutrition include:being unable to leave the house or go to a store to buy foodfinding it physically difficult to prepare mealsliving alone, which can affect a person’s motivation to cook and eathaving limited cooking skillsnot having enough money to spend on food Digestive disorders and stomach conditions If the body does not absorb nutrients efficiently, even a healthful diet may not prevent malnutrition. Examples of digestive and stomach conditions that may cause this include:Crohn’s diseaseulcerative colitisceliac diseasepersistent diarrhea, vomiting, or both Alcohol use disorder Consuming a lot of alcohol can lead to gastritis or long-term damage to the pancreas. These issues can make it hard to: digest foodabsorb vitaminsproduce hormones that regulate metabolism Alcohol also contains calories, so a person may not feel hungry after drinking it. They may, therefore, not eat enough healthful food to supply the body with essential nutrients. Risk factors In some parts of the world, widespread and long-term malnutrition can result from a lack of food. In wealthier nations, however, those most at risk of malnutrition include:older adults, especially when they are in the hospital or in long-term institutional carepeople who are socially isolated — for example, due to mobility issues, health problems, or other factorspeople with a low incomepeople recovering from or living with a serious illness or conditionthose who have difficulty absorbing nutrientspeople with chronic eating disorders, such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa When to contact a doctor A few key signs of malnutrition indicate that it is time for a person to seek care from a doctor. These signs include:unexplained, unintentional weight loss of more than 5% in the last 3–6 monthspresence of other malnutrition symptomsa worry that someone else may be showing signs of malnourishmentif a person experiences signs of an eating disorder, or sees these in someone else Likewise, a person should encourage a loved one to see a doctor if they show signs of malnourishment. Some people may not recognize the symptoms in themselves, while loved ones sometimes can. Diagnosis If a person shows or notices any symptoms or signs of malnutrition, the first step is to find out why. If a doctor suspects Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or another condition, they may evaluate the patient’s condition by: asking about medical historyconducting a physical examordering testing Treating underlying conditions can improve a person’s nutritional status. A healthcare professional may also carry out the following:blood tests for general screening and monitoringtests for specific nutrients, such as iron or vitaminsprealbumin tests, as malnutrition commonly affects levels of this proteinalbumin tests, which may indicate liver or kidney disease A tool to identify risk Some tools can help identify people who have or are at risk of malnutrition. One way to assess adults is by using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). 2018 research has shown this to be a reliable tool. Experts designed this tool to identify adults, especially older adults, with malnourishment or a high risk of malnutrition. It is a five-step plan to help healthcare professionals diagnose and treat these conditions. The five steps are as follows:Measure a person’s height and weight, calculate their body mass index (BMI), and provide a score.Note the percentage of unplanned weight loss and provide a score. For example, an unplanned loss of 5–10% would give a score of 1, while a 10% loss would score a 2.Identify any mental or physical health conditions and provide a score. For example, if a person has been acutely ill and taken no food for over 5 days, this would lead to an additional 2 points.Add the scores from steps 1, 2, and 3 to obtain an overall risk score.Use local guidelines to develop a care plan based on the score. The score will be one of the following:low risk: 0medium risk: 1high risk: 2 or more Doctors only use MUST to identify overall malnutrition or the risk of malnutrition in adults. The test will not identify specific nutritional imbalances or deficiencies. Nutritional deficiency anemia can result if a person’s diet cannot provide the nutrients they need. Learn more about it here. Treatment If a doctor diagnoses malnutrition, they will make a treatment plan for the person. The person may also need to meet with a dietician and other healthcare professionals. Treatment will depend on the severity of the malnutrition and the presence of any other underlying conditions or complications. It may include:ongoing screening and monitoringmaking a dietary plan, which might include taking supplementstreating specific symptoms, such as nauseatreating any infections that may be presentchecking for any mouth or swallowing problemssuggesting alternative eating utensils In severe cases, a doctor may administer nutrients intravenously (through an IV). The person’s healthcare team will continue to monitor them to ensure they get the nutrition they need. Prevention To prevent malnutrition, people need to consume a range of nutrients from various food types. Older adults, young children, people with severe or chronic illness, and others may need additional care to obtain the nutrients they need. Anyone who starts to show signs of malnutrition or undernutrition should see a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment. In the U.S., effective treatment is usually available, although the outlook and time needed for recovery will depend on the cause of the malnutrition. Summary Malnutrition is the result of an improper diet. It can result from too few nutrients (undernutrition) or too many nutrients (overnutrition). People who experience undernutrition often have: low weightdifficulty recovering from injurieslack of appetitefatiguedepressionamong other symptoms But malnutrition is not the result of poor diet choices in every case. Sometimes, malnutrition occurs because a person: does not have easy access to foodcannot leave their home to buy foodcannot cook mealshas a digestive disorder that prevents their body from properly absorbing nutrients Helping patients treat malnutrition is an important goal for many healthcare professionals. Together, a doctor and patient can review possible causes of malnutrition and help develop more nutrient-dense eating plans. Last medically reviewed on May 5, 2022Nutrition / Diet 12 sourcescollapsedMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.Assessing your weight. (2020).https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.htmlCastro-Vega, I., et al. (2018). Validation of nutritional screening Malnutrition Screening Tool compared to other screening tools and the nutritional assessment in different social and health areas [Abstract].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29756969Eroğlu, A. G. (2019). Malnutrition and the heart.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6776449/Keller, U. (2019). Nutritional laboratory markers in malnutrition.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6616535/Malnutrition. (2020). http://www.who.int/features/qa/malnutrition/en/Malnutrition. (2020).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/malnutrition/Malnutrition. (2021).https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition/Mathur, P., et al. (2019). Overnutrition: Current scenario & combat strategies.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6755771/Obesity and overweight. (2021).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweightThe 'MUST' explanatory booklet. (2011).https://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_explan.pdfVitamin A and carotenoids: Fact sheet for health professionals. (2022).https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/Vitamin C: Fact sheet for health professionals. 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