[afro-nets] Screening tools for severely malnourished children

[Leela McCullough <leela@healthnet.org>]

Practical screening tools for severely malnourished children in
sub-Saharan Africa
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http://www.jamamedia.org

03 August 2005

Even though severe malnutrition is a major cause of death among
many hospitalized children in sub-Saharan Africa, the current
recommended assessment method using weight for height to deter-
mine if a child is malnourished is not always feasible in these
clinical settings.

In this study, researchers evaluated an assessment using mid up-
per arm circumference (MUAC) and the clinical sign "visible se-
vere wasting" to predict the probability of death among malnour-
ished children at a district hospital as compared to the cur-
rently recommended weight-for-height z score (WHZ).

The researchers found that MUAC and visible severe wasting per-
formed as well as the recommended WHZ method in predicting inpa-
tient death.

They suggest that when also considering cost and practicality,
MUAC may be more appropriate than WHZ for identifying severe
malnutrition in children aged between one and five years who are
admitted to African district hospital.

(JAMA 2005; 294:591-597)

James Berkley, M.D.
mailto:jberkley@kilifi.mimcom.net
JAMA and Archives Journals
http://www.jamamedia.org