Dictionary > Kwashiorkor

Kwashiorkor

”’ kwashiorkor
A nutritional deficiency illness in children who are not getting enough protein. This results in anaemia, poor growth, weakness, and oedema (which is particularly characterised by a pronounced pot belly). The word is derived from the Ghanian term meaning the sickness the baby gets when the new baby comes. In famine-stricken regions, children typically develop kwashiorkor right after they are weaned, this is because they no longer get their source of protein, mothers milk.


You will also like...

Genetics and Evolution
Genetics and Evolution

Humans are diploid creatures. This means that for every chromosome in the body, there is another one to match it. Howeve..

complete-dominance
Dominance

This tutorial presents Gregor Mendel's law of dominance. Learn more about this form of inheritance and how it can be pre..

takahē
Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

Muscle
Muscle

Muscle cells are specialized to generate force and movement. Learn about the different types of muscle tissues in this t..

Structural depiction of catalase, an enzyme
Protein Activity and Cellular Metabolism

Proteins have a crucial role in various biological activities. Get to know how proteins are able to perform as enzymes, ..

Growth Patterns
Growth Patterns

This tutorial describes the sigmoid curve, annual plant growth, tree growth, human growth, and insect growth as the grow..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics