Mishra M, Rao YK, Shrivastav D, Tripathi P, Singh DD. Indian perspective on childhood malnutrition: Prevalence, pathophysiology, risk factors, and prevention. World J Clin Pediatr 2024; 13(4): 91971 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v13.i4.91971]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Desh Deepak Singh, PhD, Associate Professor, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, SP-1, Kant Kalwar, RIICO Industrial Area, NH-11C, Jaipur 303002, Rajasthan, India. ddsbms@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Malvika Mishra, Yashwant Kumar Rao, Department of Pediatrics, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur 208002, Uttar Pradesh, India
Malvika Mishra, Dharmsheel Shrivastav, Desh Deepak Singh, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303002, Rajasthan, India
Dharmsheel Shrivastav, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Noida International University, Greater Noida 201003, India
Prashant Tripathi, Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Jalaun, Orai 285001, Uttar Pradesh, India
Author contributions: Singh DD and Rao YK conceived and designed the study; Mishra M retrieved the articles, wrote, and drafted the manuscript; Shrivastav D assisted in information retrieval and inclusion of findings; Tripathi P provided intellectual inputs and proofread the manuscript; All authors approved the final version and contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Desh Deepak Singh, PhD, Associate Professor, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, SP-1, Kant Kalwar, RIICO Industrial Area, NH-11C, Jaipur 303002, Rajasthan, India. ddsbms@gmail.com
Received: January 11, 2024 Revised: August 4, 2024 Accepted: October 8, 2024 Published online: December 9, 2024 Processing time: 293 Days and 5.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Childhood malnutrition contributes over half of the childhood mortality around the world, predominantly in South-Asian and sub-Saharan countries.
AIM
To summarize the childhood malnutrition epidemiology along with the comorbid factors associated with it and its management within the community.
METHODS
The data collection process involved conducting a comprehensive search using specific keywords such as child nutrition disorders and India with Boolean operators. The search was conducted in the Scopus and PubMed electronic databases.
RESULTS
Inadequate energy consumption initiates pathological alterations in the form of growth retardation, fat, visceral, and muscle loss, a reduction in basal metabolic rate, and a significant reduction in total energy expenditure. It has become evident that malnutrition shows an increased prevalence and incidence rate, despite available guidelines for the management of malnutrition.
CONCLUSION
Malnutrition can be a major player in the establishment of severe infections that result in significant post discharge mortalities in children. Future trials are required to fill the prime gaps in knowledge regarding the identification of other contributory factors in the pathogenesis of malnutrition and post-discharge infection. New biomarkers for early detection of malnutrition should be the priority of the scientific community for the early management of malnutrition.
Core Tip: Childhood malnutrition, a leading cause of global childhood mortality, especially in South-Asian and sub-Saharan countries, demands urgent attention. This review consolidates malnutrition epidemiology, its associated factors, and community-based management. Despite available guidelines, inadequate energy intake leads to severe complications. Addressing knowledge gaps and identifying new biomarkers are pivotal for effective early detection and management of malnutrition-induced severe infections in children.
