MalnutritionSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that occurs when your body does not get enough nutrients.
Nutrition - inadequate
There are many types of malnutrition, and they have different causes. Some causes include:
- Poor diet
- Starvation due to food not being available
- Eating disorders
- Problems with digesting food or absorbing nutrients from food (malabsorption)
- Certain medical conditions that make a person unable to eat
You may develop malnutrition if you lack a single vitamin in your diet. Lacking a vitamin or other nutrient is called a deficiency.
Sometimes malnutrition is very mild and causes no symptoms. Other times it can be so severe that the damage it does to the body is permanent, even though you survive.
Poverty, natural disasters, political problems, and war can all contribute to malnutrition and starvation, and not just in developing countries.
Some health conditions that are related to malnutrition are:
- Malabsorption
- Hunger
- Beriberi
- Binge eating
- Deficiency - Vitamin A
- Deficiency - Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- Deficiency - Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Deficiency - Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Deficiency - Vitamin B9 (folacin)
- Deficiency - Vitamin E
- Deficiency - Vitamin K
- Eating disorders (bulimia and anorexia)
- Kwashiorkor
- Megaloblastic anemia
- Pellagra
- Rickets
- Scurvy
- Spina bifida
Malnutrition is a significant problem all over the world, especially among children. It is very harmful to children because it affects brain development and other growth. Children who suffer from malnutrition may have lifelong problems.
Symptoms of malnutrition vary and depend on its cause. General symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss.
Treatment most often consists of:
- Replacing missing nutrients
- Treating symptoms as needed
- Treating any underlying medical condition
Emory Clinic At 1365 Clifton Road
Thomas Ziegler is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been practicing medicine for over 43 years. Dr. Ziegler is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malnutrition. He is also highly rated in 4 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Malnutrition, Vitamin D Deficiency, Obesity, Protein Deficiency, and Gastric Bypass. Dr. Ziegler is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine, 1995.
Emory Clinic At 1365 Clifton Road
Vin Tangpricha is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been practicing medicine for over 30 years. Dr. Tangpricha is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malnutrition. He is also highly rated in 6 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Malnutrition, Vitamin D Deficiency, Osteoporosis, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and Reconstructive Urology Surgery. Dr. Tangpricha is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine, 2001.
Duke Endocrinology Clinic - Clinic 1A
Thomas Weber is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Durham, North Carolina. He has been practicing medicine for over 37 years. Dr. Weber is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malnutrition. He is also highly rated in 26 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Hypophosphatemia, Rickets, X-Linked Hypophosphatemia, Malnutrition, and Parathyroidectomy. Dr. Weber is board certified in American Board Of Internal Med, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Meta.
The outlook depends on the cause of the malnutrition. Most nutritional deficiencies can be corrected. However, if malnutrition is caused by a medical condition, that illness has to be treated in order to reverse the nutritional deficiency.
If untreated, malnutrition can lead to mental or physical disability, illness, and possibly death.
Talk to your provider about the risk of malnutrition. Treatment is necessary if you or your child have any changes in the body's ability to function. Contact your provider if these symptoms develop:
- Fainting
- Lack of menstruation
- Lack of growth in children
- Rapid hair loss
Eating a well-balanced diet helps to prevent most forms of malnutrition.
Summary: Benign esophageal strictures are a common condition with multiple and varied causes. Esophageal strictures are manifested by the appearance of dysphagia, usually when the reduction in the esophageal lumen is greater than 50%. Malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia can also occur. Quality of life can thus be significantly impaired. To date, there are multiple techniques for treating strictures. Dila...
Summary: FGF23 is the cornerstone of phosphate / calcium / vitamin D metabolism: it is synthesized mainly by osteocytes and acts as a phosphaturizing agent, inhibitor of dihydroxyvitamin D, and inhibitor of synthesis and secretion of PTH in most tissues. The specific role of FGF23 on bone has yet to be demonstrated. In osteoblasts, overexpression of FGF23 in vitro suppresses not only osteoblastic different...
Published Date: April 01, 2025
Published By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Cederholm TE, Bosaeus IG. Malnutrition: assessment and support. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 198.
Mason JB, Booth SL. Vitamins, trace minerals, and other micronutrients. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 199.
Nagata JM, McDonald CM. Nutrition, food security, and health. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 62.
Saint-Cyr M, Waldrop SW, Krebs NF. Nutritional requirements. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 60.