Abstract:
Introduction: Programmatically, Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) was categorized into ‘complicated’ SAM, admitted to Therapeutic Feeding Center (TFC), and ‘uncomplicated’ SAM managed in Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP).
Objective: This study aims to examine the anthropometric differences between SAM admitted to TFC and OTP.
Methods: A hospital based case control study conducted in the Therapeutic Feeding Program (TFP) of Al-Sadaka General Teaching hospital, Aden, included complicated (cases) and uncomplicated (control) severely wasted 6–60-month-old children admitted between July 2022 to June 2023. The WHO anthropometric calculator was used to assess every child’s WFL/H SD and L/HFA SD.
Results: A total of 313 cases and 122 controls were admitted, mean age, weight, length/height, and MUAC among the cases were (13.04±7.34 mo., 5.41±1.33 kg, 68.32±7.10 cm, and 10.57±1.36 cm) respectively; while among the controls were (20.05±12.93 mo., 7.05±1.74 kg, 76.89±10.46 cm, and MUAC 11.28±1.11 cm) respectively. The severity of wasting by WFL/H Z-score among cases vs controls were < -3 SD (37.0% vs 68.9%), < -4 SD (35.8% vs 18.8%), < - 5 SD (14.75 vs 7.4%) and < -6 SD (8.6% vs 1.6%). Less than –7 SD among the cases were 1.3% and no children belong to this category in the controls.
Conclusion: Children admitted to TFC had severe wasting reaching up to < -6 SD and < -7 SD below the WHO cut-off with simultaneous presence of severe stunting and low MUAC which denote irreversible impaired cognitive development with reduced intellectual capacity and high mortality risk, respectively.
Keywords: Anthropometric, Complicated severe wasting, Uncomplicated severe wasting
