Clinical profile of children with Severe Acute Malnutrition attending Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre in Dharmapuri

Introduction: Prevalence of severe acute malnutrition is estimated to be 2.6% among Under 5 years children globally and is estimated to be 6.4% in India as per National Family Health Survey -3. Methodology: This study was conducted to find the clinical profile of children from 6 months to 60 months of age admitted in Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre. Results: The Prevalence of SAM was 5.1%. 77.3% had Wt/Length criteria satisfied. 2.7% had mid arm circumference criteria satisfied. Edema was not observed. The Peak Prevalence of SAM was found in the age group between 6 months to 12 months. Sepsis, Bronchopneumonia and other infections were found to be more common in children with SAM. The average duration of stay was 7.02 days. The average weight gain for children under treatment was 8.9 gm/kg/day. There were no cases of relapse noted in our study period. Conclusion: Weight/Height ratio is the best among the three criteria for identifying SAM. The shorter duration of stay in NRC is a major handicap to the outcome. Establishment of NRC in all medical college hospitals with skilled personnel will be a major investment our country makes to ensure the future of its children.