Original Articles Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): Bioscience Insights Published 2026-10-15

IMPACT OF MALNUTRITION ON IMMUNE COMPETENCE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN CHILDREN

Authors

  • Amna Saleem MSc (Hons) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Jhang, Pakistan. Pakistan Author
  • Zainab Saeed Doctor, Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences, Nawabshah, Pakistan. Pakistan Author
  • Malahat Sohaib Senior Registrar, Pediatrics, Memon Medical Institute Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Author
  • Muhammad Jamil Mughal Public Health Consultant & CEO, All Saints Institute of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Pakistan Author
  • Muhammad Naeem Rajput Executive Director, Sukkur Blood Hospital, Pakistan. Pakistan Author
  • Zahid Iqbal Awan Public Health Specialist, Health Department AJK, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Author
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Abstract

Background: Malnutrition in early childhood can severely impair the development of the immune system, making infectious diseases more susceptible, but the clinical effect of subclinical nutritional deficits in the community is poorly studied.

Problem: This is to examine the influence of nutritional status on immune markers and infection rate in children in a pediatric community-based study.

Methods: The study was a prospective cohort study carried out in four months (February 2024- May 2024) within the selected rural and semi-urban areas within Faisalabad, central Punjab with an enrolment of 75 pediatric participants aged between 24 and 59 months. Complete anthropometric measurements, complete blood analysis, serum micronutrient measurements and biweekly morbidity records were taken. Shapiro-Wilk test was done to ensure data normality and independent samples t-tests and Pearson correlation were done.

Findings: 75 out of the 85 children screened were eligible participants who completed the four months follow-up (88.2 percent completion rates). The sample included 41 boys (54.7 percent) and 34 girls (45.3 percent) of which 32.0 percent (n=24) were moderately undernourished and 68.0 percent (n=51) were well-nourished. The mean frequency of infectious episodes (3.8 1.2 vs. 1.9 0.8, p < 0.001) and the length of illness were much longer among moderately malnourished children than among well-nourished children. The positive inverse linear relationship was established between height-for-age z-scores and the total illness duration (r = -0.62, p < 0.001). Moreover, there was a lower absolute lymphocyte count in malnourished subjects (2.8 ± 0.7 versus 4.2 ± 0.9 103/ul, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Pediatric immune incompetency due to subclinical cases of nutritional deficiency is a serious problem that increases risk of infections. Nutritional screening at the community level is important in boosting immune capability and decreasing childhood morbidity which is preventable.

Keywords

  • Child; Communicable Diseases; Immune System; Malnutrition; Nutritional Status; Pediatrics; Prospective Studies

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