Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036474 (scurvy)
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The morbidity pattern and nutritional profile was evaluated of school children who resided around Mosaboni Copper Mines and in surrounding villages of Ghatsila subdivision in Singhbhum district of Bihar State, India. A total of 1424 school children (816 boys and 608 girls) between 5-17 years old were studied. Children were examined on school premises with the assistance of teachers and health visitors. Body weight and height, nutritional deficiency signs, common infective conditions, and cardiac murmurs were recorded. Evidence of morbidity was found in 52.8% boys and 67.4% girls. 11.9% boys and 12.2% girls had 2 or more conditions existing together. The average number of children per family was 5.13; it was 4.77 in families with no child illness; 5.03 with 1 illness and 6.94 if 2 or more morbid conditions were found in a child. Approximately 2% girls over 12 years old had dysmenorrhea and polymenorrhea. Only 15.4% of boys and 19% of girls weighed above 80% of the 50th percentile of the Harvard Standard. 76.4% of boys and 71.7% of girls weighed between 61% and 80%, while 8.1% of boys and 9.l% of girls weighed less than 60%. 20% of boys and girls showed features of stunting. Deficiencies of Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin A as well as clinical anemia were common while rickets and scurvy were rare. The prevalence of worm infestation, lymphadenopathy as well as skin and respiratory infections were lower than in some other studies. Dental caries was observed in 21% of cases, but the prevalence of periodontal disease and malocclusion was higher than reported by others. Convulsive disorders and myopia were less common than in urban school children. Prevalence of congenital cardiac lesions was higher than in urban studies probably due to heredity. Nutritional supplementation in schools, regular medical checkups of school children, and health education of the community with emphasis on small family norms could improve the overall health status of rural children.
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PMID:Health status of rural school children. 258 10

A child responds to a deficiency of an essential nutrient either by continuing to grow and consuming body stores with eventual reduction in the bodily functions (Type I) or by reducing growth and avidly conserving the nutrient to maintain the concentration of the nutrient in the tissues (Type II). Examples of Type I nutrient deficiency are anemia (iron deficiency), beri-beri (thiamin deficiency), pellagra (niacin or nicotinic acid deficiency), scurvy (vitamin C or ascorbic acid deficiency), xerophthalmia (vitamin A or retinol deficiency) and iodine deficiency disorders. Diagnosis is relatively simple via clinical symptoms and measurement of the concentration of the nutrient itself. There are no characteristic symptoms to distinguish which Type II nutrient deficiency an individual has; all deficiencies result in the poor growth, stunting, and wasting generally ascribed to protein-energy malnutrition. In Type II, growth stops, the body starts to conserve the nutrient, and its excretion falls to very low levels. In severe deficiency the body may start to break down its own tissues and the reduction of appetite accompanies this condition. An animal can die from zinc deficiency even though it is has a normal concentration of zinc in its tissues, but it can respond rapidly to small amount of dietary zinc. The mechanisms by which the body stops growing in response to nutritional lack are similar to the hormonal picture seen in endocrine disease (reduction of the production of the hormonal mediators of growth, down-regulation of receptors, and reduction of protein synthesis). Growth failure is the clinical sign characteristic of a diet deficient in protein, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Wasting may be also ascribed to toxins, infection, worms, or persistent diarrhea. Anorexia is another common response in nutrient deficiency. Only a supplementation diet with a balance of nutrients will promote rapid recovery.
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PMID:Specific deficiencies versus growth failure: type I and type II nutrients. 1234 13