How is marasmus diagnosed?
Healthcare providers will begin by physically examining the person’s body. Marasmus has some telltale physical features, the primary one being the visible wasting of fat and muscle. People with marasmus appear emaciated. The loss of fat and muscle under the skin may cause the skin to hang loose in folds. Beyond appearances, healthcare providers will measure the height or length of the person’s body and the circumference of their upper arm.
Healthcare providers use a few different charts to measure a child’s or adult’s weight-to-height ratio against medical standards, depending on their age. Marasmus is defined differently on different charts, but it is always significantly below average. To use a chart more people are familiar with, marasmus would score below a 16 on the BMI (body mass index). The purpose of the scoring is mostly to confirm the diagnosis and rate how severe it is.
