Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of acute malnutrition among under-5 children attending a rural hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a cross-sectional study

Author:

Bavurhe Rodrigue Fikiri123,Ahmad Bilal4,Naaz Farheen5,Oduoye Malik Olatunde2,Rugendabanga Excellent2,Nkundakozera Marie26,Bianga Viviane Feza13,Farhan Kanza7,Kioma Josline2,Biamba Chrispin26,Bisimwa Jospin2,Banyanga David1,Opondjo Fernand Manga13,Colombe Moise Mbaluku13,Bucangende Eric Ndagano8,Shamamba Peniel Kundo3,Cirhuza Eric Cibambo9,Isonga Stéphanie Sifa3,Akilimali Aymar2,Birindwa Archippe Muhandule13, ,

Affiliation:

1. Faculty of Medicine, Official University of Bukavu, Bukavu

2. Department of Research, Medical Research Circle (MedReC)

3. Department of Pediatrics, University Clinics of Bukavu, Bukavu

4. Department of Public Health, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental college, Lahore

5. Medical College, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India

6. Faculty of Medicine, University of Goma, Goma

7. Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan

8. Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

9. Faculty of Medicine, Institut Supérieur de Techniques Médicales (ISTM), Nyangezi, DR Congo

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition, a public health problem in a low-income country such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), is a major killer among children under 5 who are most at risk of acute malnutrition. This study aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of acute malnutrition in children under 5 years old. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective and descriptive cross-sectional study on children under 5 with acute malnutrition from April 2022 to April 2023. A total of 287 malnourished children were consulted, hospitalized in a rural hospital, and registered for participation in this study. Results: Two hundred eighty-seven (25%) children were victims of acute malnutrition. The age group between 13 and 24 months is the most affected by acute malnutrition with 30%. The male-to-female(M/F) sex ratio was 1.17. Kwashiorkor is the most common form of acute malnutrition with 171 (59.6%) cases. Abdominal bloating, weight loss as well as diarrhea and vomiting were the more frequent clinical signs. Shock is the most complication of acute malnutrition. Therapeutic milk (Food 75 and Food 100) was the most effective in management. Twenty-nine (10.1%) other children died from acute malnutrition and 258 (89.9%) children progressed to full recovery. Conclusion: Acute malnutrition in children remains a public health problem worldwide and particularly in low-income countries such as DR Congo. It is associated with multiple physiological vulnerabilities and has many short- and long-term complications in children who have suffered from it.

Publisher

Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)

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