Is PEM a Disease? Deciphering the Two Medical Meanings
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3 min read
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) affects a significant portion of the world's children, making it a critical public health challenge. This fact highlights one of the two major medical meanings of the acronym, leading to a complex answer to the question, "Is PEM a disease?". The simple answer is that one form of PEM is a disease, while the other is a debilitating symptom of other serious conditions.
