Malnutrition can cause various symptoms, including fungus on the tongue, muscle wasting, and tooth decay. Some signs, such as fatigue and hair loss, are easily overlooked. Oral thrush, wasting, and tooth decay are more serious signs that require medical attention.
When a person is malnourished, their body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, such as vitamins and minerals, to stay healthy. Being malnourished does not mean that a person lacks all of their nutrients. It is possible to be deficient in one or only a few nutrients. In these cases, there may be specific signs of malnutrition to look for. Some general symptoms of malnutrition include fungus on the tongue, muscle wasting, and tooth decay.
In some cases, malnutrition does harm without warning signs. This means that if a person suspects he is malnourished, he should not wait for any of the signs to appear. Suspicion of malnutrition should prompt a person to seek medical attention.
There are some signs of malnutrition that are easily overlooked. This is because they are so common ailments that they could be attributed to a number of problems. A good example is fatigue. People who lack adequate nutrition usually lack sufficient energy. This may make them lethargic, but they may not associate these symptoms with a problem in their diet.
Hair, skin and nails are parts of the body that even healthy people struggle to find satisfaction with. While these areas are commonly affected by malnutrition, many people fail to make this connection. For example, hair loss is one of the symptoms of malnutrition. Dermatitis can also develop when a person is malnourished and may have brittle nails.
Tongue fungus is commonly called oral thrush. This condition involves the growth of white patches on the tongue and sometimes on the gums. This growth is actually an overgrowth because the bacteria that cause this problem is normally in the mouth. When the immune system isn’t functioning up to par, however, these bacteria can get out of control and form an infection.
Wasting is one of the most serious signs of malnutrition. By the time the problem reaches this stage, the body is severely malnourished. Wasting refers to a process in which the body begins to break down components such as muscle and fat to compensate for a lack of nutrition. Usually, the body wastes muscle first and then, if the problem is not corrected, starts consuming its fat. Indicators of this include sagging skin, a skeletal appearance, and a lack of normal body structure.
Tooth decay is another obvious sign of malnutrition. It is usually difficult for people not to notice that their teeth are rotting. When a person is malnourished, their teeth may start to look discolored and then appear to rot. Teeth may become brittle or may fall out. The gums are also likely to show signs of infection, such as bleeding or pus discharge.
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