Clinicoepidemiological profile of severe acute malnutrition children admitted to the nutritional rehabilitation center of a tertiary care center in Davangere: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major public health problem which the world is facing right now. Nineteen million children in the world are suffering from SAM. The current study was undertaken to study the clinicoepidemiological profile and the treatment outcome of SAM children admitted to the nutritional rehabilitation center (NRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective record-based study was carried out in children with SAM and those who were admitted to NRC during the period of 1 year (March 2018–2019) were included in the study. One hundred and eighteen children were included in the study. RESULTS: Seventy-one (60.16%) belonged to the age group of 1–2 years. Sixty-five (55.08%) presented with symptoms related to gastrointestinal tract, followed by respiratory tract 38 (32.20%). 55.08% of children were cured from SAM after NRC admission. CONCLUSION: NRC provides lifesaving treatment measures for SAM children. The most common symptom in SAM children was symptom of gastrointestinal tract and children were cured from SAM after NRC admission.