Gastric emptying in children. III. Study on marasmic protein-calorie malnutrition.

Gastric emptying of a liquid meal was assessed in nine malnourished hospitalized children with marasmus and in seven control children. Gastric emptying was measured by the double sample test meal after intragastric instillation of 20 ml/kg body weight of 5% glucose. In malnourished children, gastric emptying was assessed within 72 hours of admission and 30 days later when nutritional status was in net recovery. The liquid volumes ten and 20 minutes after the meal were significantly smaller in newly-admitted children with marasmus than in controls, but no differences in intragastric volumes were detected after recovery had started. We conclude that malnourished children with marasmus have a disordered early phase of gastric emptying of a liquid meal, but the abnormality is reversible following recovery of nutritional status.