Marasmus

Is one of the three forms of serious protein-energy malnutrition.

An old term still in common use in Anglophone developing countries. The adjective (marasmic) described abnormally small and thin infants. As noun and adjective the term was later used by nutritionists to define a weight less than 60% of the reference mean weight for age. This definition is still used in resource-poor areas where stature is not measured. Now the term protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is more commonly used.

A wasting away of the body, associated with inadequate food.

A condition that results from a diet inadequate in both protein and calories. It results in extreme emaciation and growth failure is the result of starvation and characterized by abnormal growth rate, extreme thinness, wasted tissues, and apathy.

Condition in children that is believed to arise from inadequacy of both calories and protein and characterized by wasted muscle, stunted growth and a wrinkled ‘old man’ appearance.

Condition caused by deficient energy and protein intake. Also called protein calorie malnutrition (PCM). Although children of all ages and adults can suffer from a deficiency of both energy and protein, the marasmic child is usually less than one year old. In developing countries, a common cause for marasmus is the cessation of breast-feeding. Milk production by the mother may have stopped because of the mother’s poor health, the mother may have died, or there may be a desire on the part of the mother to bottle-feed her infant rather than breast-feed. This decision to bottle-feed may be made for a variety of reasons. The mother may view bottle-feeding as a status symbol, she may be forced to work to earn a living and may be unable to have her baby with her, or she may not be able to lactate. While under optimal conditions of economics and sanitation the bottle-fed child may be well fed, in emerging nations this is not always true. The mother may not be able to buy the milk formula in sufficient quantities to adequately nourish the child, she may overdilute the milk, or she may use unsafe water and unsanitary conditions to prepare the formula for the child. This, plus the insufficient nutrient content of the milk formula, often precipitously leads to the development of marasmus, a form of starvation characterized by growth failure with prominent ribs, a characteristic monkey-like face, and matchstick limbs with little muscle or adipose tissue development; tissue wastage but not edema is present. Whereas the kwashiorkor child has a poor appetite, the marasmus child is eager to eat. The child is mentally alert but not irritable. Anemia and diarrhea are present for the same reasons as in kwashiorkor. The skin and hair appear to be of normal color.

Marasmus, which is sometimes referred to as protein calorie malnutrition, is a severe disorder of malnutrition. This disorder develops when an individual does not take in a sufficient amount of protein or an adequate number of calories.

Extreme malnutrition and resulting emaciation, resulting from insufficient calories and protein for growth. Most often found in regions where starvation or semistarvation are common, marasmus can also result when children have been fed solely on breast milk for too long, or when they were weaned onto a nutritionally inadequate diet. Marasmus can also be found in children who exhibit failure to thrive, for physical, social, or emotional reasons.

Extreme malnutrition, emaciation, and wasting, especially in a young child; it usually results from inadequate protein and calorie intake but may also result from malabsorption, metabolic disorders, repeated vomiting and diarrhea, or certain infectious diseases. Symptoms include wasting of subcutaneous tissue and muscle and often a pallid appearance and subnormal body temperature. Treatment includes reestablishment of fluid and electrolyte balance and gradual introduction of foods.

Chronic malnutrition caused by starvation, resulting in severe wasting of body tissues with: loss of subcutaneous fat; inelastic, wrinkled skin; loss of muscle tissue and strength; failure to grow; lethargy; and hypoproteinemia.

Debilitated condition caused by chronic malnutrition.

An especially severe form of malnutrition that develops from prolonged deficiency of caloric intake. Marasmus develops primarily in countries with famine conditions. It is always associated with protein deficiency, even when protein is being consumed regularly, because the body cannot metabolize protein without adequate caloric intake.

Severe wasting in infants, when body weight is below 75% of that expected for age. The infant has an aged appearance, is pallid and apathetic, lacks skin fat, and has subnormal temperature. The condition is usually due to protein deficiency but may be associated with malabsorption, wrong feeding, metabolic disorders, repeated vomiting, diarrhea, severe disease of the heart, lungs, kidneys, or urinary tract, or chronic bacterial or parasitic disease (especially in tropical climates). Maternal rejection of an infant may cause marasmus through lack of breast milk. Acute infection may precipitate death. Treatment depends on the underlying cause, but initially very gentle nursing and the provision of nourishment and fluids by gradual steps is appropriate for all.

Progressive wasting, especially in young children, when there is no ascertainable cause. It is generally associated with starvation.

Emaciation, generalized wasting, and absence of subcutaneous fat caused by malnutrition. The condition results from caloric deficiency secondary to acute diseases, especially diarrheal diseases of infancy, deficiency in nutritional composition, inadequate food intake, malabsorption, child abuse, failure-to-thrive syndrome, deficiency of vitamin D.