Dictionary:

marasmus

  (mə-răz'məs)

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A progressive wasting of the body, occurring chiefly in young children and associated with insufficient intake or malabsorption of food.

[New Latin, from Greek marasmos, from marainein, to waste away.]

Malnutrition caused by lack of food. It is characterized by general wasting (body weight is less than 60 per cent of that expected for the age), apathy, and lethargy. Unlike some forms of malnutirition (for example, see kwashiorkor), it affects adults as well as children.

A wasting disorder of malnutrition and partial starvation which occurs in infants and young children as a result of severe protein deficiency and insufficient caloric intake. See also kwashiorkor.

Marasmus. (Thibodeau/Patton, 2002)

A severe form of malnutrition caused by deficiencies of protein and calorific intake, accompanied by progressive wasting, especially in infants.

A form of protein-calorie malnutrition characterized by growth retardation and wasting of subcutaneous fat and muscle, but usually with retention of appetite and mental alertness. See cobalt nutritional deficiency.

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