COMMON DEFICIENCY DISEASES IN 
CHILDHOOD
 

When calories or nutrients or both, either singly or in combi- nation, are not supplied in adequate amounts, deficiency diseases result leading to undernutrition and malnutrition. The details of such deficiency conditions are presented in Table II.

        
                                       TABLE II
        
          Deficiencies Resulting from Inadequacies in Calories and Nutrients
        
                                          

        
        S.No.  Nutrients              Results of deficiency
        
                                          

        
        1.   Carbohydrate   Weight retardation/reduction, emaciation
             and fat        and loss of strength.
        
        2.   Protein        In children between 2 to 5 years.
        
                            Kwashiorkor
        
                            Kwashiorkor results in extreme conditions
                            of deficiency of protein, while the
                            calories may be adequate in the diet.
                            The symptoms are: weight loss and growth
                            retardation, diarrhoea, dermatitis, oedema,
                            browning of hair, anemia, weakness,
                            forgetfulness, irritability and crying.
        
                            Marasmus
        
                            Marasmus results when both calories and 
                            protein are deficient in the diets of
                            children. Symptoms are weight loss, 
                            emaciation, flaky faint dermatosis, browning 
                            of hair and enlargement of stomach and 
                            liver. Between kwashiorkor and marasmus there
                            are a series of stages of growth 
                            failures. (Figures 1 and 2)
        
        3.   Calcium        In children above 5 years of age 
        
                            Growth failure, indigestion and diarrhoea rickets 
                            with retarded growth, osteoporosis or   
                            osteomalacia, pigeon chest, weakening or bones, 
                            teeth and gums, and obstruction in the normal 
                            functioning of heart.
        
                                          

        
                                          

8

9

10

11

12

        
                                          

        
        S.No.  Nutrients         Results of deficiency
        
                                          

        
        4.   Iron                Paleness, anemia and lose of weight
                                 and strength.
        
        5.   Vitamin A           Sore eyes, poor sight and night
                                 blindness, loss of glow in the eyes,
                                 Bitots spots (Figure 3), skin
                                 diseases, poor growth and poor resistance
                                 to disease and blood changes.
        
        6.   B Complex           Loss of appetite, ulceration or month
                                 vitamins  and tongue, body pain, 
                                 dermatitis, colour changes in skin, 
                                 vascularisation of the cornea falling 
                                 of hair and early greying.
        
        7.   Vitamin C           Bleeding gums, weakness of the bone,
                                 slow healing of wounds, internal
                                 haemorrhage, blood changes and poor
                                 resistance to diseases.
        
        8.   Many nutrients      Growth retardation, dullness and slow
                                 understanding, loss of resistance to infec-
                                 tions and continuous illness.
                                 irritability, laziness, inability to do
                                 work and loss of vigor.
        
                                          

1. Gopalan, C. and Vijayaraghavan, K. Nutrition Atlas of India, ICMR, 1971, pp. 61, and 64-67.

2. Ghosh, Shanti. The Feeding and Care of Infants and Young Children. Voluntary Health Association on India. New Delhi, 4th edition 1981, pp. 13-18.