Malnourishment

dudara

After seeing a charity ad featuring malnourished African children, a question popped into my head.

why does malnourishment cause children to bloat and become swollen, whereas anoxerics and hunger strikers become gaunt and thin?

Capt'n Midnight

It could be retension of water - not sure if that has anything to do with most people's habit of drinking a lot of water to fill their stomach.

BioHazRd

The bloated stomach or "pot-belly" is as a result of a condition called kwarshiokor. This causes the liver to swell. It happens as a result of the lack of energy and nutrients (or more specifically, protein and carbohydrates)

Victims can also suffer from oedema (fluid retention), which may give them a rounded look

Bio

dudara

cheers Bio, but why doesn't this also happen to people who starve themselves, because they also are ingesting the necessary proteins etc

BioHazRd

AFAIK this is because Kwarshiokor and marasmus (the two main conditions that you see on the concern ads etc.) are conditions that affect children up to about age 4/5. Anorexics and hunger strikers tend to be adults, and their metabolism and nutrient requirements are quite different.

Bio

dudara

Gotcha. Thanks