Diagnostic performance of visible severe wasting for identifying severe acute malnutrition in children admitted to hospital in Kenya

摘要

Objective To determine the diagnostic value of visible severe wasting in identifying severe acute malnutrition at two public hospitals in Kenya. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of children aged 6 to 59.9?months admitted to one rural and one urban hospital. On admission, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), weight and height were measured and the presence of visible severe wasting was assessed. The diagnostic performance of visible severe wasting was evaluated against anthropometric criteria. Findings Of 11?166 children admitted, 563 (5%) had kwashiorkor and 1406 (12.5%) were severely wasted (MUAC