Demographic and Clinical Profile of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition – An Experience from Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre in Jammu

ABSTRACT

Background: Childhood undernutrition remains a key public health challenge in India and is a significant contributor of Under-5mortality as these children have significantly higher risk of mortality and morbidity. Nutritional rehabilitation centres have beenset up by Government of India at facility level to provide medical and nutritional care to Severe Acute Malnourshied childrenunder the age of 5 years who have medical complications.Materials and Methods: Retrospective record based observational study conducted in NRC located at SMGS Hospital, GMCJammu. All the children upto 60 months of age, admitted in NRC during the study period, from September2018 to February2019 were included in the study.Aims and Objectives: To know the demographic details and clinical profile of comorbidities in children with Severe AcuteMalnutrition and to assess the outcome of these children.Results: A total of 118 children were admitted in the Nutritional Rehablitation Center during the study period 60% werefemales. 60% of the children were less than 12 months of age 20 % were between 13 and 24 months of life.Children belongedto all the districts, 22% from Jammu, 18% Reasi, 16% Udhampur, 15% Rajouri, 8% Kathua, 7% Poonch and 6% Samba.Bronchopneumonia (39.8%), Diarrhoea (30.5% ) and skin infections(11%) were the commonest morbidities. 73.5% of thechildren had associated anemia. Other comorbidities were septicemia (10.1%), CSOM (5.9%), UTI (5%), measles (5%) andtuberculosis (2.5%).Conclusion: Early diagnosis and standardized protocol based treatment in the NRCs has been very effective in reducing themorbidity and mortality in SAM patients.