Due to chronic malnutrition, stunted children will be short in stature.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Head of the Task Force Stunting from the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), Prof. Dr. Dr. Damayanti R Sjarif SpA(K) said that an inadequate child’s weight up to the age of two years could be an early sign of stunting. Children who experience it need to get medical attention immediately.
“If there are signs, seek help from a doctor. Later the doctor will see what disease there is, while the food (of the child) is improved,” said the pediatrician, consultant nutritionist and Metabolic disease in an online health event, Tuesday (5/4/2022). ).
Damayanti explained, stunting means a child’s short stature caused by chronic malnutrition. The cause can be due to inadequate food intake or increased food needs of children due to diseases such as infections.
Children who are stunted are at risk of experiencing a decrease in growth hormone which is marked by cessation of growth. If there is no intervention then it will be short.
On the other hand, their brains do not develop, so there is a disturbance of intelligence. Then, because the child is malnourished, his body tries to adapt so that it retains fat.
Even if the child is getting the right food intake, the body still retains fat. As a result, there is a risk of obesity and diseases such as coronary heart disease later in life.
“Stunting is only a sign, the most serious (impact) on the brain and the risk of disease,” said Damayanti.
source: Between
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