Why does malnutrition cause potbelly

Kwashiorkor can be fatal if it's left untreated for too long because children become very vulnerable to infections. The main cause of kwashiorkor is not eating enough protein or other essential vitamins and minerals. It's most common in developing countries with a limited food supply, poor hygiene, and a lack of education about the importance of giving babies and children an adequate diet.

Kwashiorkor is rare in developed countries such as the UK, but it can occasionally happen as a result of severe neglect, long-term illness, a lack of knowledge about good nutrition, or a very restricted diet. Kwashiorkor can often be diagnosed based on a child's physical appearance and questions about their diet and care. However, a blood test and urine test may be done to rule out other conditions. This can include tests to:. Other tests may include growth measurements, calculating body mass index BMI , measuring body water content, taking a sample of skin biopsy or hair for testing.

Search for: 'pot belly' in Oxford Reference ». All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice. Oxford Reference. Publications Pages Publications Pages. Recently viewed 0 Save Search. Back in the s, nutritionists believed that this was the mechanism that caused tissues to swell in kwashiorkor.

At that time, researchers believed that small children needed much more protein than current theories advocate. In , scientists defined a child as being at risk of protein deficiency if it received less than …. Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.

Improve this question. Bipasha Bipasha 1 1 gold badge 2 2 silver badges 21 21 bronze badges. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. The rest of the article goes into more detail on the phenomenon and mechanism of action. This source seems less authoritative, but also suggests that weakened abdominal muscles due to protein deficiency also play a role: The swollen belly is the result of not only that enlarged liver, but also the loss of muscle mass, which leads to weak abdominal muscles.

Improve this answer. Lawnmower Man Lawnmower Man 1 1 silver badge 2 2 bronze badges. References Klein S. Protein-energy malnutrition. Goldman's Cecil medicine.

Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; c Ashworth A. Nutrition, food security and health. Nelson textbook of pediatrics. Philadelphia: Elsevier; c Malnutrition-associated liver steatosis and ATP depletion is caused by peroxisomal and mitochondrial dysfunction. J Hepatol.