Association of Growth Status and Mental Function in Pre-School Children

Abstract

There have been several investigations to study the extent of growth retardation. Recently emphasis has been extended towards a new concept of functional significance of various grades of growth retardation. Among the functions studied, bactericidal activity was affected in children with 30 per cent deficit of body weight, while other immunological mechanisms like cell mediated immunity were intact at this level. These later functions were altered only when the body weight deficit was about 40 per cent i. e. when the growth retardation was very severed Intestinal absorption of xylose and fat also followed the same pattern.