Clinical Perspectives of Nutritional and Dermatological Disorders: Guidelines for Health Care Workers and Students pursuing Medical Courses in Developing Countries

Whereas malnutrition has been known to be problematic to people with severe or chronic diseases, malnutrition has been cited as one of the consequences of the worldwide lock-down that many Countries have so far experienced as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, especially on children. This situation might be aggravated by food shortages that might affect people in places with low socioeconomic infrastructure or people living in places destabilized by war or other forms of social conflicts. In such places, malnutrition may inevitably be encountered by professionals in clinical practice. In places where severe forms of malnutrition are common, many unusual symptoms may be encountered and some of these might be confusing, especially to students or inexperienced clinicians. A case in point is acrodermatitis enteropathica, which might be confused for burns or infections such as impetigo or staphyloccal scalded skin syndrome, among many others. Although the list in this book is by no means exhaustive, it nevertheless provides some essential guidance in differential diagnoses and diagnosis, especially to students undergoing medical training.