ARS | Publication request: Management of acute moderate and severe childhood malnutrition

Submitted to: British Medical Journal
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: November 1, 2008
Publication Date: November 22, 2008
Citation: Manary, M.J., Sandige, H.L. 2008. Management of acute moderate and severe childhood malnutrition. British Medical Journal. 337:1227-1230.

Technical Abstract: Acute childhood malnutrition affects about a tenth of the world's children under 5 years of age, particularly those living in circumstances of extreme poverty in the developing world. Malnutrition is typically the result of an inadequate diet and is one of the most common diagnoses in children in health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Acute childhood malnutrition leads to greater risk of death or disability from common paediatric illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoeal disease, and it shapes long-term health by compromising physical and intellectual development. The condition carries a case fatality rate of 5-60%. This review describes how best to manage cases of acute childhood malnutrition in light of recent changes in standard recommendations.