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Kwashiorkor - Overview

Alternative Names

Protein malnutrition; Protein-calorie malnutrition; Malignant malnutrition

Definition of Kwashiorkor:

Kwashiorkor is a form of malnutrition that occurs when there is not enough protein in the diet.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Kwashiorkor is most common in areas where there is:

Famine
Limited food supply
Low levels of education (when people do not understand how to eat a proper diet)

This disease is more common in very poor countries. It often occurs during a drought or other natural disaster, or during political unrest. These conditions are responsible for a lack of food, which leads to malnutrition.

Kwashiorkor is very rare in children in the U.S. There are only isolated cases. However, one government estimate suggests that as many as 50% of elderly people in nursing homes in the U.S. do not get enough protein in their diet.

When kwashiorkor does occur in the U.S., it is usually a sign of child abuse and severe neglect.

Kwashiorkor symptoms

Reviewed last on: 8/1/2008
Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Heird WC. Food Insecurity, Hunger, and Undernutrition. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Kliegman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 43.

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