Related Experiment Videos
Two unusual cases of kwashiorkor: can protein deficiency explain the mystery?
O A Oyelami1, S M Maxwell, T A Aladekomo
1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Insights
Kwashiorkor, a severe malnutrition, may have multifactorial causes beyond diet. Potent aflatoxins were detected in two fatal cases, suggesting environmental factors contribute to this condition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Toxicology
- Nutrition
Background:
- Kwashiorkor is typically understood as a nutritional deficiency disease.
- Unusual presentations of kwashiorkor challenge existing etiological beliefs.
Abstract:
Two children with unusual features of kwashiorkor are reported. One, an exclusively breastfed 7-month-old girl, had been admitted earlier, treated for pneumonia and discharged 3 weeks before she presented with kwashiorkor. The other was an identical twin who was admitted for kwashiorkor and gastro-enteritis. The twin sister was underweight but relatively well. Both children died. Potent aflatoxins were detected in the organs of these children on post-mortem examination. The occurrence of kwashiorkor in a fully breastfed infant and in an identical twin does not accord with the extant belief that the aetiology of kwashiorkor is wholly nutritional, but suggests a disease probably of multifactorial origin.