Category: Diagnosis

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition remains a global health problem that can affect anyone, but the term 'PEM' can also refer to a debilitating symptom in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). Diagnosing PEM accurately depends on which condition is being investigated.

First added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013, the diagnostic process for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is multi-faceted and relies on a comprehensive clinical assessment. This guide explains how is ARFID officially diagnosed, detailing the medical and psychological evaluations involved.

According to the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), a two-step process is standard for diagnosing malnutrition in adults, beginning with screening for risk. This article details how can doctors tell if you're malnourished using validated screening tools, clinical assessments, and laboratory criteria to accurately identify and classify nutritional deficiencies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 10% of Americans may have a vitamin B6 deficiency, making it one of the most common nutritional insufficiencies. Determining a vitamin B6 deficiency involves a combination of clinical evaluation, risk assessment, blood tests, and functional biomarker analysis.

Overnutrition and undernutrition are both forms of malnutrition affecting global health outcomes. In medical terms, a nutritional assessment is a systematic, in-depth evaluation of a patient's nutritional status, performed by healthcare professionals to identify imbalances and risk factors.

Scurvy, a severe vitamin C deficiency, is most famously associated with historical maritime voyages, yet cases continue to occur today, affecting an estimated 7.1% of the U.S. population. For clinicians and patients alike, understanding what is similar to scurvy is essential for proper diagnosis, as the condition's vague and non-specific symptoms can overlap with several other diseases.