Infections during severe primary undernutrition and subsequent refeeding: paradoxical findings

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine
M B MurrayM J Murray

Abstract

Our earlier uncontrolled observations during primary famine and subsequent refeeding did not suggest that severe undernutrition inevitably increases vulnerability to infection. Some infections appeared suppressed by famine but reactivated by refeeding. To examine prospectively the occurrence of infections in a large cohort of primary famine victims before and during refeeding. From 1973 to 1993, 4382 famine victims aged 14 or more with an estimated weight loss greater than 25% were weighed and examined for infection before and after one, two, three and four weeks of refeeding. In 137, serum C-reactive protein was measured in an effort to detect latent asymptomatic infections before and after two weeks of refeeding. Refeeding diets included wheat, sorghum, millet, ghee and milk powder. Mean weight loss +/- SD was 28.7 +/- 2.3%. Before refeeding overt infections were found in 4.9%, an incidence rising to 29.1% at two weeks of refeeding and declining after four. Those developing infections gained more weight at two weeks, 4.6 3 +/- 0.81 kg, than those never infected, 3.94 +/- 0.76 (p = < 0.001 t test). C-reactive protein levels confirmed the presence of latent infections before refeeding. Severe undernutrition can suppress certain...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Apr 18, 2009·Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS·David R BoulwareSavita Pahwa
Aug 19, 2009·The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal·Marie E WangJoseph R Zunt
Jun 27, 2009·Clinical Nutrition : Official Journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition·Peter B Soeters, Robert F Grimble
Jan 14, 2017·Clinical Microbiology and Infection : the Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases·C IngelsG Van den Berghe
Sep 20, 2002·Journal of Family Psychology : JFP : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)·Jelani Mandara, Carolyn B Murray
Sep 1, 2008·Journal of Breath Research·F Di FrancescoM Onor
Jan 31, 2006·Indian Journal of Medical Sciences·Kanjaksha Ghosh
May 24, 2014·Bioinspiration & Biomimetics·Justin ThomasVijay Kumar
Jul 29, 2010·The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal·Romain DumontKarim Asehnoune
Jan 26, 2016·Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care·Paul E Marik

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