A form of malnutrition, found in children, caused by dietary insufficiency of protein in combination with a high-carbohydrate diet, which is often marked clinically by bilateral lower extremity swelling and protuberant abdomen (due to ascites from low levels of albumin). It describes a condition often occuring when an older child is rapidly weaned (losing a critical source of protein) so that their newborn sibling can begin breast feeding. It is often seen in very severe cases of starvation and poverty-stricken regions worldwide.

Don't confuse this with marasmus, which is another disorder of malnutrition.

Source:

Benjamin O, Lappin SL. Kwashiorkor. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507876/