Supplementary suckling technique in infants less than 6 months of age with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition: a prospective hospital-based study in armed conflict Yemen

• Published in: BMC pediatrics 2022-11, Vol.22 (1), p.671-671, Article 671
• Main Authors: Baazab, Mohamed Salem Mohamed, Bilal, Jalal Ali, Ba-Saddik, Iman Ali, Arabi, Ali Mohammed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Armed conflict Yemen; Armed Conflicts; Babies; Breastfeeding & lactation; Care and treatment; Child; Children & youth; Data collection; Edema; Female; Food and nutrition; Hospitals; Humans; Infant; Infants; Infants supplementary suckling outcome; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition in children; Mothers; Nutrition; Pediatric research; Pediatrics; Prospective Studies; Risk factors; Severe acute malnutrition; Severe Acute Malnutrition - therapy; Yemen
• ISSN: 1471-2431; 1471-2431
• DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03745-w

Globally 3.8 million of children under 6 month of age are severely wasted. In Yemen, around 20% of children under 6 months were affected by malnutrition during the armed conflict in the last 7 years. Supplementary suckling may reestablish exclusive breastfeeding in infant less than 6 months of age with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). This study aimed to determine the outcomes of employing supplementary suckling technique in treatment of uncomplicated SAM infants in a conflict-affected community. A prospective hospital-based study was carried out between January to April 19th, 2020 among randomly selected infants less than 6 months of age with SAM following breastfeeding failure. Infants' anthropometric indices were daily measured and recorded. Supplementary sulking technique was used in management with high or low protein milk-based formula supplement. Outcome was recorded as cured, died, defaulter or in nonrecovery state. In this study 108 infants were enrolled with a median (IQR) age of 4 (2.5-5) years and a male: female ratio of 1.4:1. After treatment, 80.6% recovered to cure, 12% defaulters, 6% died, and 2% did not respond to treatment Thirty-four infants (38.8%) gained weight with significantly increased median weight and median weight-for-age z score. The median (IQR) duration of treatment was 9 (7.5-14) days. The means of age and weight-for-length z score were correlated (r = - 0.22, p = 0.025). Duration of treatment was a predictor of outcome (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 0.05-0.62, p