Malnutrition can result in illness, time spent in hospital, pressure ulcers, infections, falls and fractures. It can sometimes be life threatening. Elderly people with malnutrition may not be able to look after themselves at home. They can develop sarcopenia, which means they lose muscle mass and strength.
Symptoms of malnutrition
loss of appetite and lack of interest in food or fluids. unplanned weight loss - this might cause clothing, rings, watches or dentures to become loose. tiredness or low energy levels. reduced ability to perform everyday tasks like showering, getting dressed or cooking.
This makes undernourished people highly prone to illness and infection and slower to recover. Wounds take longer to heal. Cardiac activity also slows down, leading to low heart rate, low blood pressure and low body temperature. People may feel faint, weak and apathetic about life.
There are 4 broad sub-forms of undernutrition: wasting, stunting, underweight, and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Undernutrition makes children in particular much more vulnerable to disease and death. Low weight-for-height is known as wasting.
Estimates indicate that starving people become weak in 30 to 50 days and die in 43 to 70 days. Individual factors including sex, age, starting weight, and water intake all play a role in how long someone can live without food. The body works to fight starvation by producing glucose and breaking down fatty tissue.
According to the World Health Organization a BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m2 qualifies as underweight for adults. A number of other criteria define severe malnutrition including low energy intake, weight loss, loss of subcutaneous fat, loss of muscle mass, fluid accumulation, and decreased hand grip strength.
School-age children who suffered from early childhood malnutrition have generally been found to have poorer IQ levels, cognitive function, school achievement and greater behavioral problems than matched controls and, to a lesser extent, siblings. The disadvantages last at least until adolescence.
Women, infants, children and adolescents are at the highest risk of malnutrition. Optimizing nutrition early in life – including the 1000 days from conception to a child's second birthday – ensures the best possible start in life, with long-term benefits. Poverty amplifies the risk of, and risks from, malnutrition.
Malnutrition can cause permanent, widespread damage to a child's growth, development and well-being.
Malnutrition affects the function and recovery of every organ system.
The good news is that malnutrition can be prevented and the effects can be reversed with proper nutritional restoration.
Treatment for malnutrition depends on the underlying cause and how malnourished a person is. You may be treated at home or in a care home by a dietitian or other healthcare professional. In some cases, you might need to go into hospital.
unintentional weight loss – losing 5% to 10% or more of weight over 3 to 6 months is one of the main signs of malnutrition.
The final stage of starvation includes signals like hair color loss, skin flaking, swelling in the extremities, and a bloated belly. Even though they may feel hunger, people in the final stage of starvation usually cannot eat enough food to recover.
Diarrhoea, besides the danger of hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, acceleration of the wasting process may lead to hypovolaemic shock. Other types of circulatory disturbance are caused by very low serum albumin values, by the overloading of the wasted heart by fluid, by hight salt or calorie intake.
Utah, New Mexico, South Carolina See Highest Death Rates
Malnutrition deaths are common across America, killing at least one in 10,000 seniors annually from 2020 through 2022 in all but two states. Note: Data for 2022 is provisional as of March 2023. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Malnutrition Warning Signs
Increased weight loss. Lack of muscle mass. Swollen stomach (called Kwashiorkor) Fatigue and low energy levels.
Skin may appear dry, and flaky and hair may turn dry, lifeless, dull and appear like straw. Nails may appear brittle and break easily. Some patients suffer from persistent diarrhea or long term constipation. Menstruation may be irregular or stop completely in malnourished women.
Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss. Or, you may have no symptoms. To diagnose the cause of the problem, your doctor may do blood tests and a nutritional assessment. Treatment may include replacing the missing nutrients and treating the underlying cause.