Background: Malnutrition is a widespread public health problem and the child is the chief victim of interplay of nutritional, socioeconomic and health factors that cause malnutrition. It affects the potential for growth of the child and causes high mortality in the later years of life. There is increased risk of diseases and deaths in the adults who have been undernourished in their childhood. Aim: Assessment of cardiac function in malnourished children of Central India. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted to compare cardiac dysfunction between a group of malnourished children and a control group of the same age and sex and to investigate the variables like xray,ECG,2D ECHO and Cardiac troponin among study group. Results: Mean among the cases for QT interval was 332.2 +44.59 msec and controls were 293.4 +28.54 msec. (P<0.001). Mean among the cases for QTc interval was 426.7 +27.5 msec and controls was 379.5+24 msec. (P<0.0001).Mean LVM among cases was 31.58+13.6 and control was 47.14+15.68. There was significant difference in LVM among cases and control (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Malnutrition has a definite effect on cardiac volume, muscle mass, as well as the electrical properties of the myocardium. The electrocardiographic findings showed increased QT and QTc intervals. The echocardiographic examination shows decreased interventricular septal thickness, decreased left ventricular dimensions, decreased left ventricular posterior wall thickness, decreased fractional shortening and left ventricular mass suggesting cardiac atrophy and impaired left ventricular systolic functions.

Keywords: Malnutrition; ECG; 2D Echo; Xray; Cardiac TroponinI.