Archive | 2021
Cranial imaging in children with malnutrition aged 6 to 60 months
Abstract
Malnutrition is one of the most common global health problem, involving hundreds of millions of children in the world, contributing to childhood morbidity, mortality, impaired intellectual development, suboptimal adult work capacity and increased risk of diseases in adulthood. Protein-energy malnutrition produces notable morphological changes in the brains of children suffering from malnutrition and leads to cerebral atrophy. In brain tissue, atrophy describes a loss of neurons and the connections between them. These changes damage the intellectual potential of those who survive and limit their capacity to become part of the competitive world. Nutritional inadequacy remains one of the major non genetic factors affecting development of brain leading to permanent deficits in learning and behaviour. There is evidence that the earlier the dietary insult, the more severe and permanent are its effects. The studies in experimental animals in the west and children in developing countries have revealed the adverse effects of PEM on the biochemistry of developing brain which have been described in children in clinical data, biochemical studies, reduction in brain size, neuro-CT scan, magnetic ABSTRACT