Intellectual abilities and protein-energy malnutrition : acute malnutrition VS. chronic undernutrition

Three groups of Ugandan children (20 in each group) and one comparison group of 20 children were examined between 11 and 17 years of age. The children in the first three groups had suffered from energy-protein malnutrition 10 to 16 years previously when they were hospitalised at different ages (between 8-15) months, 16-21 months, 22-27 months). The comparison group consist of children who had not suffered from clinical malnutrition during infancy. All the children came from one tribe and were individually matched for sex, age, education and home environment. The three groups malnourished in infancy fell significantly below the comparison group in tests performance at the later age. Further analysis showed that the deficit is not related to the severity of acute malnutrition, but rather to the degree of chronic undernutrition at admission. No evidence was found for a relationship between impairment and the age at admission