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What is kwashiorkor? Kwashiorkor is a type of malnutrition that is most common in areas of drought and famine. It is due to inadequate protein in the diet despite an adequate caloric intake. Symptoms may include irritability and fatigue followed by slowed growth, weight loss, and muscle wasting, generalized swelling, …

Definition Keloid scars are simply means your skin has suffered a wound. This is most often caused by an injury or through surgery. There are tissues in your body called fibrous tissue. These tissues are also known as scar tissues and they will form scars right over a wound. Sometimes …

Definition A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine (hematuria) and often severe pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones are sometimes called renal calculi. The condition of having …

Description Kabuki syndrome is a rare, multisystem disorder characterized by multiple abnormalities including distinctive facial features, growth delays, varying degrees of intellectual disability, skeletal abnormalities, and short stature. A wide variety of additional symptoms affecting multiple different organ systems can potentially occur. The specific symptoms associated with Kabuki syndrome can …

Definition Koilonychia is a condition where the nails do not develop normally and are very thin and concaved with raised edges. Due to the concavity of the nails, they are also known as “spoon” nails. Other than the concavity, koilonychia also affects the texture, color, shape, and thickness of the …

Definition Krabbe disease is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness and stiffness, feeding problems, slowed mental and physical development, vision loss, and seizures. It involves the deficiency in the enzyme galactocerebrosidase (GALC), which is important in the growth and maintenance of myelin, the protective covering around the nerve …

Definition Klinefelter’s Syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects males; this is due to when a male born with an extra copy of X chromosome, which causes infertility, low testosterone and other abnormalities such as breast development. This syndrome affects the testicular growth, results in smaller testicles and may cause …

Definition Kawasaki disease causes inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body. It primarily affects children. The inflammation tends to affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Kawasaki disease is sometimes called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome because it also affects lymph nodes, skin, and …