TABLE 1.
Summary of cardinal features and etiologies of different human malnutrition disorders reviewed1
| Concentration camps and the Warsaw ghetto | Anorexia nervosa | Hunger strikes | Experimental starvation or semi-starvation | SAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age group | Adults | Adolescents and adults | Adults | 20–33 y | Under 5 y |
| Sex | Both | Mostly women | Mostly men | Men only | Both |
| Setting | Starvation and violence during genocide | Homes and hospitals in affluent countries | Prison hospitals | Research setting | Hospitals in tropical countries |
| Nutrients | Extremely reduced | Extremely reduced | Usually no macronutrients at all | Limited to 1570 kcal/d (Minnesota) or nil (Blaine) | Reduced diversity and calories but variable |
| Intestinal infection | Not proved and not contagious, but likely to have been present | No | No | No | Yes |
| Diarrhea: a major clinical feature or not? | Yes, often a terminal event in extreme wasting | No | No | No | Frequent |
1
SAM, severe acute malnutrition.