National guidelines diagnostic and treatment of acute malnutrition in children Vietnam 2016

Acute malnutrition is the morbidity status, in which the body does not receive adequate required energy and protein due to insufficient consumption or/and other diseases that leads to weight loss (wasting) or edema. Mortality risk of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is 5 to 20 times higher than healthy children and it can be a direct or indirect cause of mortality in children with common infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and respiratory infection. The guidelines for the diagnostic and treatment of acute malnutrition is developed to apply for children from 0 to 72 months old.