Acute severe malnutrition treatment outcomes in children ages 6–59 months admitted to Singa Hospital, Sudan. (2nd June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bilal, Jalal Ali; Eltahir, Hatim G; Al-Nafeesah, Abdullah; Al-Wutayd, Osama; Adam, Ishag
• Is Part Of: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Volume 114:Number 8(2020)
• Page Start: 612
• Page End: 617
• Publication Date: 2020-06-02
• Subjects: severe acute malnutrition -- oedema -- case fatality -- malaria -- children; Tropical medicine -- Periodicals; 616.9883
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/traa033
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-9203

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Acute malnutrition threatens the lives of 50.5 million children <5 y of age. Consequences of malnutrition include death, among other short-term sequelae. This study was conducted from April to October 2018 to determine the outcomes of children 6–59 months of age with acute severe malnutrition admitted to Singa Hospital in central Sudan. Methods: Clinical information for children with a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) <115 mm were collected. We measured children's weight and height and calculated weight-for-height z-scores. Treatment was offered according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Outcomes were recorded as recovered, discharged against medical advice or died. Results: This study included 376 malnourished children. The median age was 18 months (interquartile range [IQR] 12−24). The male:female ratio was 1:1. Among children with weight-for-height Z-scores of −4 and −3, 103 (27.3%) had oedematous malnutrition. There were 131 (34.8%) children with malaria parasites, 33 (8.7%) with pyuria and 24 (6.3%) with intestinal parasites. The recovery rate was 89.1%. The case fatality rate was 3.7%. Mortality was significantly increased with diarrhoea and dermatoses. There were no significant differences in the median of age (17.5 months [IQR 6−24] vs 18 [6−24], p = 0.595), MUAC (110 mm [IQR 104–111] vs 110 [100–111], p = 0.741) or sex (p = 0.991) between children who died and those who recovered. Conclusions: The case fatality rate was 3.7% and it was associated with diarrhoea and dermatoses.