What is Kwashiorkor?

Kwashiorkor is the condition that occurs mainly due to protein deficiency. Kwashiorkor is a Ghanaian word that refers to the birth position of a child and is used to describe the illness a child develops when the next child is born. Typically it appears in small children after nursing is stopped, as they receive insufficient proteins and too much of their caloric intake.

Kwashiorkor usually develops rapidly as a result of protein deficiency or more commonly is precipitate by an illness such as a measles or other infection.

In kwashiorkor, the protein deficiency is more marked than the energy deficiency, leading to much reduced protein synthesis. One effect of this is that the liver cannot make enough blood plasma protein.

Without protein to maintain fluid balance and low serum albumin levels, the child’s limbs and abdomen become swollen with edema – a distinguishing feature of kwashiorkor.

Kwashiorkor usually develops in children older than 6 months, generally when they cease to nurse.

The symptoms of kwashiorkor include: low body weight, edema, moon-face. Swollen abdomen, dry and brittle hair, skin conditions and irritability.
What is Kwashiorkor?