Definition

1. Noun:
   • A severe form of malnutrition characterized by extreme weight loss, muscle wasting, and emaciation: Marasmus is a life-threatening condition resulting from a severe deficiency in both calories and all nutrients, particularly protein. It is most commonly seen in infants and young children.

Usage

• Marasmus is a medical term used to describe a specific, severe state of undernourishment.
• It is typically used in clinical, public health, and nutritional contexts.
• The condition is often contrasted with kwashiorkor, another form of severe malnutrition that involves edema (swelling).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The humanitarian aid worker was shocked by the number of children suffering from marasmus in the famine-stricken region.
  • Marasmus can result from chronic starvation, where the body consumes its own muscle and tissue for energy.
  • The doctor diagnosed the infant with marasmus due to the child's extreme thinness and lack of subcutaneous fat.

Advanced Usage

• "Marasmic" (Adjective): Pertaining to or suffering from marasmus.
  • The marasmic child required immediate therapeutic feeding.
• Used in epidemiological studies to classify types of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Variants and Related Words

• Cachexia: A more general term for physical wasting and weight loss, often associated with chronic illness like cancer, whereas marasmus is specifically linked to nutritional deficiency.
• Kwashiorkor: A form of severe protein malnutrition characterized by edema (swelling), often contrasted with marasmus.
• Undernutrition: A broader term encompassing inadequate intake of nutrients.
• Starvation: The state of suffering from extreme hunger, which can lead to marasmus.

Synonyms

• Emaciation
• Wasting syndrome (in a nutritional context)
• Severe wasting

Related Phrases and Collocations

• "Suffer from marasmus": To be afflicted with the condition.
• "Marasmus and kwashiorkor": Often mentioned together as the two classic forms of severe protein-energy malnutrition.
• "Treatment of marasmus": Refers to the medical and nutritional protocols for recovery.

Noun

1. extreme malnutrition and emaciation (especially in children); can result from inadequate intake of food or from malabsorption or metabolic disorders