Malnutrition is a general term that describes conditions that can appear when you don't get an adequate supply of various nutrients. One particular form of malnutrition, protein-energy undernutrition, or PEU, occurs when you don't get enough of any of the nutrients you need for good health. Children with certain forms of PEU typically develop abnormally thin skin.
Background
Two forms of PEU exist. Primary PEU typically appears in older adults and children without access to adequate nutrition; older adults with depression can also develop the disorder if they fail to provide themselves with adequate nutition. Secondary PEU occurs in people who have health problems that diminish their ability to use the food energy in their diets. Problems that can trigger this form of malnutrition include digestion or food absorption disorders, wasting disorders such as cancer and HIV/AIDS and any condition --- such as infection, a burn or physical trauma --- that increases a person's nutritional needs.
Skin Changes
Children can develop either of two forms of primary PEU, marasmus and kwashiorkor. The essential difference between these two forms is the ratio of protein and non-protein food sources available to the individual. Children with either form of primary PEU develop skin that's abnormally thin, cold, pale and inelastic. The skin in children with marasmus characteristically hangs in loose folds, while skin in children with kwashiorkor is wrinkled and dry. Additional common symptoms in children with these disorders include wasting away of fat and loss of muscle tissue.
Varying Effects
It's possible to develop certain forms of malnutrition if even one important nutrient is lacking. Lack of the B vitamin riboflavin can lead to the development of skin disorders, as well as anemia, swelling of the mucous membranes and sores on the lips or in the mouth. On the other hand, malnutrition can be so minor that it produces no symptoms at all.
Considerations
Malnutrition is the single greatest factor in the onset of disease worldwide, the World Food Programme notes. People with severe malnutrition can develop forms of damage that linger even if lack of nutrients doesn't kill them. According to the "Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals," anywhere between 5 and 40 percent of children with PEU die, while those who survive can develop permanent learning impairments and permanent problems with the absorption and use of any available nutrients. Consult your doctor for more information on skin changes and other problems related to malnutrition.
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