Scurvy

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Scurvy

Scurvy is a kind of malnutrition, however; firstly you should know a

little about

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malnutrition before you read about scurvy.

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Malnutrition is a dietary condition caused by a deficiency or excess

of one or more essential nutrients in the diet. Malnutrition is

characterised by a wide array of health problems, including extreme

weight loss, stunted growth, weakened resistance to infection, and

impairment of intellect. Severe cases of malnutrition can lead to

death.

Children suffer from the effects of starvation more quickly than

adults do. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),

malnutrition contributes to the deaths of more than 6 million children

under age five each year. Typically, starving children develop a

condition called protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). The two most

common forms of PEM, marasmus and kwashiorkor, occur in all developing

countries and are life-threatening conditions. Marasmus occurs when a

child is weaned earlier than normal and receives foods low in

nutrients. The child may also suffer repeated infections, such as

gastro-enteritis, due to poor hygiene. A child with marasmus is very

underweight, with no body fat and wasted muscles. Kwashiorkor occurs

when a child is weaned later than normal and receives starchy foods

low in protein. In this disease, the child's abnormally low body

weight is often masked by water retention, which makes the face

moon-shaped and the belly swollen.

Deficiency diseases are usually associated with lack of vitamins or

minerals. The effects of a vitamin or mineral deficiency on the body

depend on the function of the particular nutrient lacking. For

example, vitamin A is important for good vision, and severe deficiency

of this vitamin may cause blindness. Because some vitamins and

minerals have many functions, prolonged nutritional deficiencies can

therefore have wide-ranging effects on health.

Diets that lack a wide variety of foods may result in vitamin

deficiency diseases. For example, in countries where people eat maize

as the staple food and only few other foods, diets may lack niacin, a

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