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Experience and Outcome of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition Using Locally Prepared Therapeutic Diet

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Abstract

Objective

Globally more than 1/3rd of the child deaths are attributed to under nutrition and it continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries. This research paper is an attempt towards intervention and management of severely malnourished children with the use of locally prepared therapeutic diets to bring down the case fatality rate.

Methods

A cross-sectional longitudinal study was undertaken at a tertiary care hospital in North India. Children under 5 y of age fulfilling the WHO case definition of severe acute malnutrition and suffering from medical complications were enrolled and managed on standard WHO protocols using locally prepared therapeutic diet (Starter F-75 diet and Catch-up F-100 diet).

Results

During the period of 11 mo, a total of 315 children (192 boys and 123 girls) under 5 y with severe acute malnutrition requiring in-patient care were enrolled and evaluated. The overall case fatality rate was 3.5 % while average weight gain seen was 9.33 ± 8.28 g/kg body weight/day and average length of stay was 11.71 ± 7.59. The Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) observed a cure rate of 47 % and secondary failure rate of 19 %.

Conclusions

The present study highlights the integral role of locally prepared therapeutic diet (starter F-75 and F-100) besides standardized care provided at Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) to combat malnutrition which is a major scourge in the developing world. To sustain the benefits and prevent relapse, there is a need to integrate the services at NRC with the community-based therapeutic care to deliver continuum of care from facility to door step and vice versa.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the efforts of the doctors, staff nurses and dietitians of NRC in the management of children with SAM.

Contributions

PS: Manuscript draft, data analysis; PK: Concept, manuscript preparation; SR: Data collection; SB: Manucript preparation; SA: Concept, manuscript preparation. PK will act as guarantor for this paper.

Conflict of Interest

None.

Source of Funding

The center is supported by UNICEF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Bangla Sahib Marg, New Delhi, 110001, India

    Preeti Singh, Praveen Kumar, Srikanta Basu & Satinder Aneja

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Bangla Sahib Marg, New Delhi, 110001, India

    Shivani Rohatgi

Authors
  1. Preeti Singh
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  2. Praveen Kumar
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  3. Shivani Rohatgi
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  4. Srikanta Basu
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  5. Satinder Aneja
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Praveen Kumar.

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Singh, P., Kumar, P., Rohatgi, S. et al. Experience and Outcome of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition Using Locally Prepared Therapeutic Diet. Indian J Pediatr 83, 3–8 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1818-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1818-z

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