Kwashiorkor Symptoms

The deficiency of an essential nutrient like protein can lead to a disease called kwashiorkor. This is also known as a wasting away disease. Succinctly, it has the tendency to make a person waste away. This disease is practically eliminated in countries where there is enough food to eat, but it does have a presence where there is mass malnourishment. Literally, it means the body is unable to produce muscles because it does not have the protein it needs to do so. The signs and symptoms are quite clear. They would be easy to spot if you knew that there is the possibility of such a condition prevailing where the person lives. The symptoms are a wasting away of the body slowly and gradually. Generally, kwashiorkor is also accompanied with a certain listlessness and apathy. It is also typically accompanied with edema, which is swelling of the lower body. The stomach can also become distended, but this is not a sign of protein deficiency alone. It can also signal other nutritional deficiencies. The other symptom is also loss of pigmentation of the hair and skin. Apart from this, the hair can also fall off in clumps. As a matter of fact, most patients of kwashiorkor are hairless to begin with. This disease particularly strikes the very young, and is thus also very noticeable.

Protein Deficiency Effects

The skin can also become scaly and rough to touch, like rough paper. Typically, the child will also suffer from loose motions. In really bad cases, and as something that is almost the final nail in the coffin, the child may also go blind. The only problem with kwashiorkor is that those suffering will be unresponsive and will also not react to situations and things going on around them. Another condition that can also result from a protein deficiency is marasmus. The symptoms of marasmus are the opposite of kwashiorkor. The child will be constantly crying and will fret all the time. It will also be extremely skinny, as opposed to being swollen and puffed up with edema. But in both cases, the child will slowly waste away. It is essential to realize that a child must have plenty of protein. This is extremely important for the general health and development of the child’s mind as well as body. Otherwise, the child will not gain weight and their skin may become wrinkled   and badly scarred at a very young age. Protein is essential to muscle development.