Abstract
Objective:
To assess the outcome of severe wasting in infants below 6 months of age
Design:
A prospective observational study conducted between January 2017 to October 2018
Setting:
A medical-college affiliated hospital in Eastern Delhi, catering mainly to the urban poor population
Participants:
All children with severe wasting (weight-for-length Z score (WLZ) < -3 SD) between 1 to 6 months age, requiring hospitalization
Results:
Out of 50 children enrolled, during hospitalization, 42 (84%) recovered (weight-for-length Z score (WLZ) > -3 SD) and discharged; the median (IQR) duration of stay was 9.5 (6.5, 13.0) days. After 100 days of enrolment, sustained cure (WLZ > -2SD) could be achieved in only 15 (30%) infants, while another 14 (28%) recovered from severe wasting, but remained in moderately wasted state (WLZ between -2 to -3 SD). Overall, there were 3 (6%) deaths (all during first week of hospitalization); 3 (6%) relapses and 15 (30%) defaulters (5, 5, 2, 1 and 2 defaulted during hospitalization, at day 15, day 60, day 75 and day 90, respectively).
Conclusions:
The overall recovery rate from severe wasting in infants below 6 months was below the acceptable levels. In order to achieve better long-term outcome, community linkage services after discharge from hospital are required for supervised feeding, close monitoring and supportive care.