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The Problem of Oedema in Infantile Malnutrition
Author(s) -
KERPELFRONIUS E.,
VARGA F.
Publication year - 1953
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1953.tb05589.x
Subject(s) - malnutrition , etiology , dehydration , medicine , hypoproteinemia , edema , pediatrics , surgery , chemistry , biochemistry
Summary In contrast to the semistarved adult in our material of severely wasted infants oedema occurred only in about 2 % of all cases. Oedema was conspicuously rare in this material because severe hypoproteinaemia and osmotic hypotension were exceptional, elevated venous pressure rare, dehydration frequent and because renal clearances were very low only in cases complicated by dehydration. Although extracellular body fluid increases percentually, this does not promote oedema formation because in infants effects of posture, i.e. gravity, obviously do not operate. The aetiology of malnutrition in infancy has a bearing on oedema formation inasmuch as the latter is frequent in those type in which hypoproteinaemia is apt to develop; such types are the following: “Mehlnahrschaden”, “wartime” and “tropical” malnutrition, and Leiner's disease. The latter types of “hypoproteinaemic” malnutrition are rather exceptional in present day hospital material hence the rarity of oedema.