The problem of malnutrition in children is best viewed
as a “syndrome of developmental impairment” caused
by a complex of multifactorial factors . The word
“syndrome” implies that there is a group of signs and
symptoms that occur together and that serve to characterize
the problem of malnutrition. At the extreme
of severity is severe, clinical malnutrition, illustrated
by kwashiorkor and marasmus and their well-known
clinical, metabolic, and anthropometric features .
These extreme conditions, although they are life-threatening
medical problems with lifelong dysfunction for
survivors, are less important, from the public health
point of view, than the less severe forms of malnutrition.
This is so because mild and moderate forms of
malnutrition are many times more common than severe
clinical malnutrition.