Relationships between growth and acute lower-respiratory infections in children aged < 5 y in a highland population of Papua New Guinea

Article Abstract:

Previous studies have shown that malnutrition can increase the susceptibility to infections and alter the outcome of disease. Malnutrition has been associated with an increased risk of respiratory illness in children. Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) are a common cause of death in children living in Papua New Guinea, and account for a large fraction of hospital admissions for those less than five years of age. Thus, preventing malnutrition is important for preventing illness and death. In an attempt to further define the relationship between ALRIs and nutritional status, the nutritional status, growth and incidence of ALRIs in 156 children less than five years of age in Papua New Guinea were determined. The health of these children was monitored for an average of 45 weeks, during which time 170 episodes of ALRIs occurred. On average, a single episode of ALRI lasted for 12 days. Ninety-three percent of the moderate to severe cases of ALRI and 72 percent of the total number of cases of ALRIs occurred in children less than two years of age. Compared with North American standards, growth and body weight for infants up to six months of age were similar, but growth and body weight declined in subsequent years. When age was taken into account, the incidence of ALRIs declined as body weight increased. To determine factors associated with an increased risk for ALRIs, the weight for age and height for age were evaluated. Low weight and low height for age were both associated with increased risk for ALRIs, indicating that poor nutrition is linked to these respiratory illnesses. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Infection, Risk factors, Pediatric diseases, Children, Respiratory tract infections, Growth, Papua New Guinea, Infection in children

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Nutritional supplementation and the development of linear enamel hypoplasias in children from Tezonteopan, Mexico

Article Abstract:

Enamel is the hard, white substance which covers the crown of the tooth, and it is susceptible to various physiological disturbances during its formation. Since enamel cannot be remodeled, physiological disturbances are permanently recorded as abnormal development patterns of enamel. The location of developmental abnormalities on the tooth crowns can provide some indication of the person's age at the time of the physiological disturbance. Enamel development is also affected by common stressors during childhood and infancy. Severe deficiency of nutrients can lead to enamel hypoplasia, or enamel underdevelopment. The relationship of nutritional status during tooth-crown formation to development of linear enamel hypoplasias (LEHs) was assessed in 42 Mexican adolescents who received no nutrient supplements and 42 adolescents supplemented with nutrients since birth. The prevalence of LEHs was almost two-fold greater in non-supplemented adolescents as in adolescents who received nutrient supplements since birth. The frequency of LEHs forming before 1.5 years and after three years was greater among non-supplemented adolescents. LEHs occurred more often in females than males and were associated with an increase in sick days and a decreased rate of growth. These findings suggest that inadequate nutrition during enamel formation contributes to the development of linear enamel hypoplasias. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Abnormalities, Physiological aspects, Dietary supplements, Enamel, Dental, Dental enamel

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