Malnutrition is an imbalance of the nutrients your body needs and the nutrients it gets. It can mean undernutrition or overnutrition. Malabsorption syndrome is a digestive disorder that prevents your body from absorbing nutrients from your food.

Malnutrition and malabsorption can occur if a child is not having enough, or the right type, of nutrients, which can lead to a reduced rate of growth and weight, muscle wasting, weakness, fatigue, dry skin, brittle hair, or frequent infections. In addition, certain conditions such as Crohn’s disease can impact whether they are able to absorb the nutrients from the food they are eating.

Signs of a growth condition due to malnutrition or malabsorption is reduced growth or short stature. The symptoms will range depending on the cause of the malnutrition and or malabsorption.

Malabsorption can look like indigestion at first with symptoms that include abdominal pain, abdominal distension, bloating, gas, nausea, vomiting, or fatty stools. Over time, other symptoms can appear.

In malnutrition, specifically undernutrition, some symptoms that can occur include thin arms and legs, edema (swelling with fluid) in the belly or face, weakness, fatigue, faintness, irritability, apathy, inattention, dry skin, rashes or lesions, brittle hair, hair loss, hair pigment loss, frequent infections, low body temperature, low heart rate, or low blood pressure.

Overnutrition may result in symptoms such as obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and heart disease.

Malnutrition can be diagnosed by observing diet history, health history, measuring body mass index (BMI), arm circumference, or blood samples to test for specific nutrient imbalances. The cause of the malnutrition and or malabsorption will influence how the growth condition is diagnosed. Some of the symptoms mentioned above can indicate malnutrition and malabsorption.