Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Severe Acute Malnourished Children from 6 to 59 Months Hospitalized in a Secondary Hospital in Mali

Introduction: Malnutrition acts on the immune system and thus increases susceptibility to infections. Infections can weaken the body and cause malnutrition, so we speak of a vicious circle between malnutrition and infection. Objective: To study the clinical and epidemiological aspects of severe acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months. Methodology: This was a prospective and descriptive study extending from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. All severely acute malnourished children aged 6 to 59 months were hospitalized at URENI whose parents or careers accepted their participation in the study. Results: Severe acute malnutrition was diagnosed in 398 of the 671 hospitalized children, i.e. 59.3%. The median age was 15.33 months (2 months - 59 months). The sex ratio was 1.03 (M = 50.8 F = 49.2). Eighty-seven percent of mothers were housewives. Parents were uneducated in 49.3% for mothers and 51.8% for fathers. Marasmus represented 93.5% of cases, children diagnosed with HIV+ represented 6.3% with exclusively HIV1 (100%). Pneumopathy was most frequently associated pathology with 33.4%. The duration of hospitalization was less than 7 days in 67.6% of cases and 93.3% of children had been successfully treated. The mortality rate was 4%. Conclusion: Malnutrition still remains a public health problem affecting mainly children aged 13 to 24 months, mainly from low-income families.