Malnutrition: Diagnosis and Treatment

The body needs nutrients from food to fuel daily activities like breathing, digestion, growing and playing. Malnutrition occurs when the body takes in fewer nutrients than it needs. This could be short-term (acute malnutrition), or long-term (chronic malnutrition). When the body is malnourished, it does not have enough energy to keep up with its important jobs, like growing or fighting off infections.    

Up to 65% of patients may experience malnutrition during their hospital stay and can experience long term effects if not treated and managed right away.

 How is malnutrition diagnosed?   

Malnutrition is diagnosed using a set of criteria and can range from mild to severe. For kids, these criteria focus on:   

• Body mass index (BMI) or weight-for-length, which compares how much a child weighs with how tall they are   

• How the child gains weight compared to other kids their age   

• How the child’s height compares to other kids their age   

• Weight loss   

• Decline in a child’s BMI or weight-for-length   

• How much the child eats compared to what is expected to meet their nutritional needs   

If a child meets any of these criteria, they may be diagnosed with malnutrition. Diagnosing malnutrition is important so the medical team can address it and make sure that the child receives the nutrition they need to support their growth. It’s important to note that malnutrition does not mean neglect. Kids may become malnourished when they are sick and do not feel well enough to eat. The diagnosis simply allows the medical team to respond to meet the child’s needs to help them get better.    

What does treatment look like?   

Malnutrition results from not taking in enough nutrients to meet the body’s needs, so treatment involves improving nutrient intake. Malnutrition is fixable – often with relatively simple (and delicious) solutions. This might mean increasing the amount of food a child eats during the day by giving higher calorie or higher protein snacks, adding a multivitamin to fix any vitamin or mineral deficiencies, or using nutrition shakes or tube feedings if they are not able to meet their needs with food alone.   

Why do we care?    

Malnutrition can have long-term impacts on the lives of children. Identifying and treating malnutrition can go a long way to make sure that they have a healthy future. Everyone on the medical team plays a part in treating malnutrition, and communication is key. If you are concerned about your child’s nutrition, talk to your health care provider! They may refer you to a registered dietitian to help make sure that your child is meeting their nutritional needs.