COMPUTERIZED CRY ANALYSIS IN INFANTS AFFECTED BY SEVERE PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION

A new method of computerized cry analysis has been utilized to evaluat e the cries of infants affected by severe protein energy malnutrition. We studied 17 Kenian babies affected by severe malnutrition for more than four months (9 cases of marasmus and 8 of kwashiorkor) and a cont rol group of 17 well-nourished babies. The cries of the malnourished c hildren showed lower inter-utterance variability, formants' frequencie s and cry score, assigned by the Infant Cry Modulation Assessment Scal e. The melodic pattern was more often flat, rising or falling-rising, when compared to the cries of the well-nourished babies. We hypothesiz e that these differences reflect the state of brain damage associated with protein energy malnutrition. No differences were found between th e cries of infants affected by marasmus and those affected by kwashior kor, between the cries recorded before and after nutritional therapy a nd between the first cries of malnourished children who subsequently d ied during hospitalization and those of infants who survived.