Severe acute malnutrition is the cause of around 500,000 deaths in children Worldwide, each year. Of these deaths, 45 % are in children under 5 years, mostly from third World countries with poor economic productivity. Even with medical intervention, once severe acute malnutrition has been identified, the mortality rate following medical intervention is still 30 %, suggesting that medical treatment for the condition is not efficient and that the underlying pathologies that characterise the disease are not fully understood. In many cases, severe acute malnutrition is accompanied by significant gastrointestinal disruption that suggests the activation and compromise of the immune system and increased permeability of the gastrointestinal tract. Disruption of fermentation within the colon can also be present, suggesting significant changes to microbiota profiles, and this is characterised and can be measured by a change in the production of, and detection of short chain fatty acids in the faecal matter.
Inflammation is present with severe acute malnutrition, and managing this inflammation has been speculated to improve mortality outcomes, particularly in children. For example, in one study subjects under 17 years were more likely to die from severe acute malnutrition, and therefore targeting therapies aimed to help this group could considerably improve survival rates. Despite the presence of intestinal pathogens such as shigella, giardia and campylobacter in the children, their presence was not associated with mortality. Protein was significantly higher, and short chain fatty acids, significantly lower, in the children that had died compared to those that survived. The researchers found that systemic inflammation was significantly associated with mortality, whereas high faecal protein and low faecal short chain fatty acids were indirectly associated with mortality through an association with systemic inflammation. Treating systemic inflammation in children with severe acute malnutrition may therefore decrease mortality.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy and Protect Yourself
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