A Preliminary Study: The Immune Status of Some Malnourished Filipino Preschool Children
Milagros Leano
Discipline: Biological and Sport Sciences
Abstract:
A variety of anthropometric indices are currently being used to assess growth status
of children, particularly the preschool children. In using these indices, the growth retardation
are expressed in terms of different degrees or levels of undernutrition. The functional
meaning of these levels of nutritional status lies on the relationship between physical size
on one hand, and functional consequences on the other. The latter refers to the influence
on any of the following: work performance, physical and mental development, resistance
to infection, pregnancy, lactation and fertility. The functional consequence of interest in
this study, is in the area of resistance to infection using immunological parameters.
The importance of undernutrition as a public health problem lies ultimately on its
consequence on health. Infectious disease morbidity is observed not only in the severely
malnourished but also in the mild and moderately undernourished children. This
phenomenon suggests a probable impairment of the host defense system. However, the
extent and severity of the immune dysfunction at the various levels of nutritional status
are yet to be fully illucidated.
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