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Subject: Re: [MEDI-GENE] Marasmas
Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 01:11:54 EST
Hi Kate Lynn,
I have several children (4) in one of my lines that died from marasmus. This
family was pretty poor and living in the city. Anyway, I checked my 1991
copy of the 'American Medical Association's Encyclopedia of Diseases' and
found:
marasmus: a severe form of protein and calorie malnutrition that occurs
principally in famine or semistarvation conditions. In developing countries,
marasmus is widespread in children under 3 years of age, usually because they
have been weaned too early onto an inadequate diet or kept too long on
unsupplemented breast milk.
Symptoms of marasmus are dehydration, diarrhea, brittle hair, an emaciated
look and loose folds of skin.
What Sandy wrote about pyloric stenosis is right on the money. The AMA book
describes it as 'occuring more often in male than female babies and tends to
run in families. The infants of a woman who was affected by pyloric stenosis
as a baby, are more likely to develop it.' It goes on to say that it's
confirmed by x-ray (though the thickened muscle can be felt through the
abdomin) and symptoms can develop as early as 3-4 weeks after birth. The
main symptom is projectile vomiting. By the way, this condition also affects
adults.
Hope this is helpful.
Take care,
Tracy
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