RESUMO
Although the biblical horsemen of hunger, plague and war have proverbially ridden together, the consequences of these adversities, i.e. malnutrition and death, may have been secularly interpreted as natural as life itself. This may be the reason why the first clinical description of what is now known as protein-energy malnutrition, did not appear until the 19th century, in 1865 to be precise. The limited dissemination of this finding, originally written in Spanish, brought about a rediscovery and successful description of the disease in English in 1933. In 1949, one year after their creation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) decided to unify their diagnostic criteria of malnutrition, and endorse further research. The present assay describes some of the major conceptual landmarks in the history of the scientific knowledge of this disease.
Assuntos
Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica/história , Adolescente , Criança , História do Século XIX , História do Século XX , Humanos , Kwashiorkor/diagnóstico , Kwashiorkor/história , Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica/diagnósticoRESUMO
Reviewed are reports on factors, identified by risk analysis, involved in the genesis of primary malnutrition in children. Data are compared with the sequence of factors in a flow diagram, based on the natural history of malnutrition, proposed 3 decades ago. Susceptibility to malnutrition is analyzed in light of observations related to inheritance, the ob gene and leptin.
Assuntos
Distúrbios Nutricionais/etiologia , Tecido Adiposo/metabolismo , Criança , Suscetibilidade a Doenças , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição do Lactente , Leptina , Exposição Materna , Distúrbios Nutricionais/genética , Gravidez , Proteínas/genética , Fatores de Risco , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Aumento de PesoRESUMO
The main contributions in the knowledge of secondary lactase deficiency in children are reviewed. We present the clinical features of fermentative diarrhea and the current physiopathological issues, diagnostic procedures, and dietetic treatments, related to this diarrhea, as well as a review of the diseases associated with it. Finally, we discuss the epidemiological implications of the deficiency.
Assuntos
Intolerância à Lactose/epidemiologia , beta-Galactosidase/deficiência , Criança , Humanos , Lactase , Intolerância à Lactose/diagnóstico , Intolerância à Lactose/etiologia , Intolerância à Lactose/terapiaRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of "earthenware dishes" is associated with high blood lead levels in children. Measurements of lead in blood were done in 169 school-children. Of this sample 100 children were selected: 50 of them with the lowest concentration of lead in blood and 50 with the highest. A questionnaire was applied to 39 mothers of the children with low blood lead levels (< 20.2 micrograms/dl) and 48 mothers of the children with high blood lead levels (> 28.0 micrograms/dl). Results show that the use, frequency and time of utilization of this type of dishes is statistically associated with high levels of lead in blood.
Assuntos
Cerâmica/efeitos adversos , Utensílios de Alimentação e Culinária , Intoxicação por Chumbo/epidemiologia , Criança , Intervalos de Confiança , Feminino , Humanos , Chumbo/sangue , Intoxicação por Chumbo/sangue , Intoxicação por Chumbo/etiologia , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Razão de Chances , Fatores de Risco , População Suburbana/estatística & dados numéricos , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
The effect of iron deficiency on the attention span was studied in 169 school children between 6 to 11 years of age. All were studied by hematological procedures and psychological methods in order to know the nutritional status for iron and their capacity of attention. Then were treated with iron sulfate for 12 weeks, and the hematological and psychological studies were repeated. Results shown iron deficiency anemia in 17.1 percent of the children, and iron deficiency, without anemia, in 14.7 percent. After treatment of the school children the scores and time required in a visual attention test improved. Also there was a favorable change in the scores obtained by one the subtests of the WISC Test. Findings are discussed and it is mentioned that a program for combating iron deficiency anemia through food fortification most be implemented.
Assuntos
Anemia Ferropriva/complicações , Atenção/efeitos dos fármacos , Compostos Ferrosos/uso terapêutico , Deficiências de Ferro , Anemia Ferropriva/tratamento farmacológico , Anemia Ferropriva/psicologia , Criança , Feminino , Compostos Ferrosos/farmacologia , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
The development of the human gastrointestinal tract starts in early intrauterine life. In spite of this early start of the functional differentiation of its tissues, the GI tract function is still incomplete at the end of gestation. This report reviews the physiological and biochemical aspects of the gastrointestinal ontogeny which have medical and dietetical implications in the first year of life of infants.
Assuntos
Sistema Digestório/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição do Lactente , Ácidos e Sais Biliares/metabolismo , Deglutição , Digestão , Sistema Digestório/embriologia , Sistema Digestório/metabolismo , Humanos , Lactente , Alimentos Infantis , Transtornos da Nutrição do Lactente/fisiopatologia , Recém-Nascido , Absorção Intestinal , Mucosa Intestinal/fisiologia , Rim/crescimento & desenvolvimentoRESUMO
This study gave us the opportunity to know the roles iron deficiency and the presence of lead in blood play, as confounding variables, in relation to the state of malnutrition and the intellect of those children. A sample of 169 school children were classified according to their state of nutrition, their condition in reference to serum iron and lead concentrations. In addition, their intelligence was evaluated. The results confirmed that those children with lower weights and heights registered lesser points of intelligence; in fact, iron deficiency cancels out the difference in favor of those taller and weighing more. Lead did not contribute as a confounding variable, but more than half of the children showed possible toxic levels of this metal.
Assuntos
Inteligência/fisiologia , Deficiências de Ferro , Chumbo/sangue , Distúrbios Nutricionais/psicologia , Anemia Hipocrômica/sangue , Anemia Hipocrômica/epidemiologia , Anemia Hipocrômica/psicologia , Criança , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição Infantil , Feminino , Humanos , Testes de Inteligência , Ferro/sangue , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Distúrbios Nutricionais/sangue , Distúrbios Nutricionais/epidemiologiaRESUMO
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a high number of bacteria could be demonstrated in the upper small bowel during the chickenpox infection. Intestinal juice was drawn in nine malnourished children, during and two weeks after the acute period of the disease. The results of the study fail to demonstrate quantitative differences in the bacterial flora of the small bowel in both periods. Besides that, the bacterial overgrowth previously reported in malnutrition, is confirmed.