Nutritional and digestive disorders Neet

Nutritional and digestive disorders - PEM, Indigestion, Constipation, vomiting, jaundice, diarrhoea

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM)

• The daily requirement of protein, according to the Nutrition experts committee of ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) and WHO (World Health Organisation) is 1 gm per kg body weight. 
• Reduction in the intake of protein leads to protein malnutrition, such as marasmus and kwashiorkor. 
• In marasmus, the child loses weight and it also causes severe diarrhoea and the body muscles get wasted. It will appear as though the bones are covered by the skin. 
• In kwashiorkor, there is a wastage of muscles. Face and feet will have oedema. The belly region will appear enlarged.

Vitamin Deficiency Ailments

Vitamin A 

1. Atrophy of lacrymal glands of the eye and reduction in tear secretion 

2. Corneal epithelium becomes red and dry (xerosis). It may also become wrinkled and Keratinised (xeropthalmia). Appearance of Bitot’s spot in the cornea might happen. 

3. Cornea may get necrosed and get infected (keratomalacia). 

4. May cause night blindness (nyctalopia). 

Vitamin D 

 Defective calcification of bone, deficiency of vitamin-D, causes rickets in growing children and osteomalacia in adults. 

Vitamin E:- 

Rare in humans, sterility in experimental animals. 

Vitamin K

 1. Lack of vitamin K leads to defect in blood coagulation. 

2. In humans, vitamin K deficiency leads to haemorrhagic manifestations. 

Vitamin B1

• Gross deficiency of vitamin B1, leads to a condition known as beriberi. 
• Beriberi affects nervous and cardiovascular systems. In children and infants, the onset is acute.

Vitamin B2 

• Loss of appetite and other gastrointestinal symptoms, soreness and burning of lips, mouth and tongue. Fissures appear at the edges of the mouth. 

Vitamin Niacin 

• Its deficiency leads to pellagra. The principal symptoms of pellagra include mental changes, (dementia) dermatitis and stomatitis. The tongue becomes smooth, red and painful. 

Vitamin B6: (Pyridoxine)

•  In humans, pyridoxine deficiency causes dermatitis around the eyes, nose and behind the ears. Fissures appear above the lips and angles of the mouth. 

Vitamin B12 

• Its deficiency causes pernicious anaemia, a typical sore tongue and several neurological problems related to the spinal cord. 

Vitamin C 

• Its deficiency in the body leads to scurvy, a disease characterised by bleeding gums, loosening and falling out of teeth and intramuscular haemorrhages. 
• In the absence of this vitamin the collagen and connective tissue proteins are not synthesised properly.

Indigestion

Indigestion also called dyspepsia or an upset stomach — is discomfort in your upper abdomen. Indigestion describes certain symptoms, such as abdominal pain and a feeling of fullness soon after you start eating, rather than a specific disease.

What does serious indigestion feel like?

The main symptom of indigestion is pain or a feeling of discomfort in your upper abdomen (dyspepsia). People often experience the associated feeling of burning behind the breastbone (heartburn), but this may occur on its own.

Common causes of indigestion include:

• Overeating or eating too quickly. 
• Fatty, greasy or spicy foods. 
• Too much caffeine, alcohol, chocolate or carbonated beverages.

Constipation

• Constipation occurs when bowel movements become less frequent and stools become difficult to pass. 
• It happens most often due to changes in diet or routine, or due to inadequate intake of fibre.

What can constipation do to your body?

• When you can't get stool out of your body, it can start to stick together in your intestines. The hardened mass gets stuck and causes a blockage. 
• The squeezing your colon normally uses to push stool out of your body can't move it because it's too large and hard. 
• It can cause pain and vomiting.

Vomiting

• Humans are actually one of the few mammals that vomit in nature. 
• Depending on the condition or cause, the brain sends a signal to the diaphragm and the stomach which propels the food up the oesophagus and out the mouth.

common causes of vomiting in adults include:

• Viruses (gastroenteritis, aka “stomach flu”) and bacteria (food poisoning). Overindulgence (drinking too much alcohol or smoking too much marijuana). 
• Medical conditions (pregnancy, motion sickness, migraines, vertigo).

Types of vomit:

Clear vomit, White, foamy vomit, Green or yellow vomit, Orange vomit, Pink or red (bloody) vomit, Brown vomit, Black vomit.

Jaundice

• Jaundice is a condition in which the skin, whites of the eyes and mucous membranes turn yellow because of a high level of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment. 
• Jaundice has many causes, including hepatitis, gallstones and tumours. In adults, jaundice usually doesn't need to be treated.

 What is the main cause of jaundice?

• Jaundice happens when there's too much bilirubin, a yellow-orange substance, in your blood. It's found in your red blood cells. 
• When those cells die, the liver filters them from the bloodstream. But if something's wrong and your liver can't keep up, bilirubin builds up and can cause your skin to look yellow.

Diarrhoea

• Diarrhoea is very common, happening in most people a few times each year. 
• When you have diarrhoea, your stool will be loose and watery. 
• In most cases, the cause is unknown and it goes away on its own after a few days. Diarrhoea can be caused by bacteria. Dehydration is a dangerous side effect of diarrhoea.

4 Types of Diarrhoea

• It can be divided into three basic categories: watery, fatty (malabsorption), and inflammatory. 
• Watery diarrhoea may be subdivided into osmotic, secretory, and functional types. 
• Watery diarrhoea includes irritable bowel syndrome, which is the most common cause of functional diarrhoea.