Medical Student Research Forum Posters

Major burns (burns >20% body surface area) can cause a patient’s body to enter a hypermetabolic state, in which increased calories and protein are required to meet elevated nutritional demands. Adequate nutrition can help avoid severe consequences that arise from inadequate nutrients, such as weight loss, wound healing, and infections. Normally, patients are given a rate-based feeding regimen. However, this method often falls short of meeting the patient’s nutritional demand. Recently, volume-based feeding has been introduced as a superior alternative.

• 59% of women of reproductive age (WRA) in Cameroon had inadequate folate intake in 2009. 1

• Folate deficiency increases the risk of neural tube defects (NTD), specifically spina bifida and anencephaly.

• The prevalence of NTD in Cameroon from 1997-2006 was four times that of the US, at 1.99/1000 cases per year. 2

• Wheat flour fortification with micronutrients – including folic acid – was implemented in Cameroon in 2011, showing marked improvement in micronutrient status in WRA. 1

• Food fortification programs are considered cost-effective; most cost-effectiveness estimates rely either on cost-perindividual reached or biological impact.

Numerous studies in clinical literature have explored the link between nutrition and skin. However, it remains unclear whether patients come to their dermatologists with knowledge from these studies and where they obtain their skin health information. We characterized patient perceptions surrounding nutrition and skin health, including what patients identify as aggravating and alleviating foods and their sources of information.