Essential fatty acid composition and correlates in children with severe acute malnutrition.

Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a common condition in children living in low-income countries and may be associated with reduced polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) blood levels. The purpose of this study was to describe whole blood fatty acid composition and correlates of PUFA in children admitted with SAM.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among children admitted with SAM at Mulago National Referral Hospital and healthy controls.