kwashiorkor etymology

Etymology:

  • Kwashiorkor: A term derived from the Ga language of Ghana.

Meaning:

  • "Kwashiorkor" literally means "the disease of the displaced child" or "red boy."

Origin:

  • The term was first used in 1933 by Dr. Cicely Williams, a Jamaican pediatrician working in Ghana.
  • Dr. Williams observed a distinctive group of symptoms in children who had been abruptly weaned from their mothers due to a new pregnancy. These symptoms included:
    • Skin lesions (particularly reddish or brownish discoloration)
    • Edema (swelling)
    • Stunted growth
    • Diarrhea
    • Loss of appetite
  • The condition, caused by severe protein malnutrition, was named "kwashiorkor" due to its association with the displacement of children from their primary source of nutrition (breast milk).

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