Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Long Term Consequences For a Starved Child
1002 Long Term Consequences For a Starved Child
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
Seeing disturbing images about the famine in Gaza had me thinking about the long-term consequences of the starving children there, should they survive.
At least half a million Gazans face starvation with little humanitarian aid being allowed in. After just a few days without food, a child’s body begins to tap into stores of glucose in the liver, and then fat stores to keep the brain and other organs going.
Once those are gone, the body starts to break down muscles, draining the child’s physical strength. Next are the vital organs which start to break down, and the immune system deteriorates, leaving the child susceptible to infections.
The vital organs shrink, wounds don’t heal, and the intestinal barrier breaks down which further increases infection risk. The child is barely moving at this point and without food, organs fail, breathing slows, and blood pressure drops. Brain damage is next and then death.
If a child survives starvation, they usually face stunted growth, soft bones, liver and kidney problems, and cognitive issues. The stunting is most prominent when starvation happens from gestation to age four.
Stunted children are more apathetic, display less exploratory behavior and have altered physiological arousal. Many of the neural defects do not improve with age.
The sooner food can get to the children in Gaza, the greater their chances of survival. Everyone deserves to have the nutrition they need to grow up and the opportunity to lead productive and fulfilling lives.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast.
