https://en.formulasearchengine.com/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=SheliaVogelformulasearchengine - User contributions [en]2026-07-28T10:34:12ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.47.0-wmf.7https://en.formulasearchengine.com/w/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=38828Main Page2014-08-10T16:10:34Z<p>SheliaVogel: </p>
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<div>:''Wasting could also mean [[Economic efficiency|inefficient]] and/or [[Effectiveness|ineffective]] [[Consumption (economics)|consumption]]. See [[waste]].''<br />
{{wikt|wasting}}<br />
In medicine, '''wasting''' refers to the process by which a debilitating [[disease]] causes [[muscle]] and [[fat]] [[biological tissue|tissue]] to "waste" away. Wasting is sometimes referred to as "acute malnutrition" because it is believed that episodes of wasting have a short duration, in contrast to [[stunted growth|stunting]], which is regarded as chronic malnutrition.<br />
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==Causes==<br />
Wasting can be caused by an extremely low energy intake (e.g., caused by [[famine]]), nutrient losses due to infection, or a combination of low intake and high loss. Infections and conditions associated with wasting include [[tuberculosis]], chronic [[diarrhea]], [[AIDS]], and [[Superior mesenteric artery syndrome]]. The mechanism may involve cachectin - also called tumor necrosis factor, a macrophage-secreted [[cytokine]]. <br />
Caretakers and health providers can sometimes contribute to wasting if the patient is placed on an improper diet.<br />
Voluntary weight loss and [[eating disorder]]s are excluded as causes of wasting.<br />
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==Classification==<br />
*Children: Weight-for-height (WFH). In infants under 24 months, recumbent (supine) length is used. WFH as % of median reference value is calculated this way:<br />
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:<math>\mathrm{WFH} = \frac{\mbox{weight of a given child}}{\mbox{median weight for a given child of that height}} \times 100</math><br />
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Cutoff points may vary, but <80% (close to -2 [[Z-score]]) is often used.<br />
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*Adults: <br />
**[[Body Mass Index]] (BMI) is the quotient between weight and height squared (kg/m<sup>2</sup>). An individual with a BMI < 18.5 is regarded as a case of wasting.<br />
**Percent of body weight lost (At Tufts, an unintentional loss of 6% or more in 6 months is regarded as wasting)<br />
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== See also ==<br />
* [[Atrophy]]<br />
* [[Cachexia]]<br />
* [[Weight loss]]<br />
* [[Anorexia (symptom)|Anorexia]]<br />
* [[Superior mesenteric artery syndrome]]<br />
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==External links==<br />
*http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no6/03-1082.htm<br />
*http://www.tufts.edu/med/nutrition-infection/hiv/health_weight_loss.html<br />
*http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/587/1/325<br />
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[[Category:Symptoms and signs: General]]<br />
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{{disease-stub}}</div>SheliaVogel