Complications and Outcome of Severe Acute Malnutrition in children under Five in Africa: A Systematic Review

Background: This study aimed to examine the complications associated with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), and the disease outcome in children under five years old in Africa. Methods: The recommendations of PRISMA 2020 were used for the realization of this systematic review. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases for articles published in English. The search covered all articles conducted in Africa and published between 2010 and 2022. The outcome of SAM was assessed in terms of weight gain, recovery rate, and fatality rate. Results: Out of 12,553 articles identified, 62 articles met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. The age range of 6 to 24 months was found to be the most common age group, and marasmus was identified as the most common type of malnutrition. The most frequently encountered complications were diarrhea followed by respiratory tract infections and anemia. The recovery rate was frequently less than 75%, and many studies reported a weight gain of less than 10g/kg/day. Conclusion: Our work showed that despite the efforts made, SAM is still a major cause of mortality in African children. Such findings highlight the need for implementation of corrective measures that can address this deadly condition.