2.3. Subjects
anaemia, pitting oedema, allergic
ANAEMIA, COMPLICATIONS
Eligible for inclusion in the study were children aged 6–59 months with uncomplicated SAM (WHZ < −3 and/or MUAC < 115 mm and/or presence of bilateral pitting oedema +1 or +2 regardless of anthropometry) who had no underlying health conditions or complications of SAM, no severe anaemia (<70 g/L) or body weight less than 4 kg, who were not allergic to any of the ingredients in the RUTFs, who passed the appetite test and who had not received treatment for SAM (including not having consumed RUTF, F75, F100 or food for special medical purposes) in the last two months.As reliable data from the PHC on the anthropometric status of children in their catchment area were not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic (no monthly growth monitoring sessions being conducted), we pre-screened children for SAM using MUAC through home visits, using a cut-off of 135 mm, to allow better detection of children with low WHZ [