WHAT IS THIS? (Nutritional Adequacy)
A diet with reduced intake - absorption of necessary nutritional elements affects the body over time. As the stores of essential amino acids, essential fats, trace elements, and vitamins are depleted, the effects begin at a cellular level in each individual organ, affecting their respective function.
CASES OF APPEARANCE – INDICATIONS – SIGNIFICANCE
The lack of nutritional elements may be due to:
- insufficient nutritional intake (anorexia nervosa, "special" diets, compulsive eating)
- increased losses (autoimmune, chronic diseases)
- limited absorption of the gastrointestinal system (celiac disease, gastritis, chronic, etc.)
Frequent cases:
- Elderly patients – with reduced appetite, reduced sense of smell, and/or mechanical difficulty in chewing or swallowing.
- Κeen conditions, such as surgery, severe burns, infections, and even a mental trauma.
- People who have been malnourished for some time may have a weakened immune system and a worse prognosis for their illness.
- Chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis, pancreatic insufficiency, pernicious anemia, and kidney disease,
- Loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing, and nausea, related to both cancer (and chemotherapy) and HIV infection.
- Increased loss, malabsorption, and decreased uptake can also be seen in patients with chronic drug and/or alcohol abuse.
Over time, the most common symptoms may be
- degradation of intellectual functions
- frequent infections
- anemia, weight loss
- decrease in muscle mass, cachexia, musculoskeletal pain, cramps
- dehydration of the skin, swelling of the legs
- menstrual disorders, infertility
- hair loss, nail changes
- diarrheas
Children can occur a delay in their development, as well as specific disorders in mental functioning. A severe lack of nutritional elements can lead children to wither with a thin body, cachectic growth, edema, enlarged liver, listlessness, and stunted growth. Deficiencies of certain vitamins can also affect bone and tissue formation.
During pregnancy, adequate nutritional support is vital for normal fetal growth and development and pregnancy stability.
English
