Severe acute malnutrition is a serious health problem among children in low-income countries. Particularly malnourished children requiring in-hospital treatment are at high risk of dying.

This dissertation investigates possible reasons for this high mortality, by following a group of 120 children during their in-hospital treatment of severe acute malnutrition at Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit in Kampala, Uganda.

We assessed how malnutrition affected the children’s immune system, by measuring the size of their thymus gland with ultrasound. We examined characteristics of children with the serious form of malnutrition, Kwashiorkor, where the children develop oedema. Finally, we explored symptoms, findings or treatments given that were associated with a higher risk of death in the children. Hopefully, these findings may contribute to improving the treatment offered to children with severe acute malnutrition.