🚩 Flag Sign in Kwashiorkor

✅ Answer: (b) Kwashiorkor

📖 What is Flag Sign?

Flag Sign refers to alternating light and dark bands of hair caused by repeated episodes of protein deficiency followed by periods of improved nutrition.

👉 The hair changes resemble the alternating stripes of a flag, hence the name “Flag Sign.”

📖 What is Kwashiorkor?

Kwashiorkor is a severe form of protein-energy malnutrition caused primarily by protein deficiency despite relatively adequate calorie intake.

Common clinical features include:

• ✔ Edema (swelling)
• ✔ Flag sign of hair
• ✔ Sparse, brittle, easily pluckable hair
• ✔ Moon face
• ✔ Fatty liver (hepatomegaly)
• ✔ Skin changes (“flaky paint” dermatosis)
• ✔ Growth retardation

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

(a) Poliomyelitis
❌ A viral disease affecting the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, leading to flaccid paralysis. It is not associated with the flag sign.

(c) Rickets
❌ Caused by vitamin D deficiency, leading to soft bones, bow legs, and delayed bone growth—not hair color changes.

(d) Marasmus
❌ A severe deficiency of both calories and protein causing extreme wasting. Unlike kwashiorkor, edema and the flag sign are typically absent.

📝 Kwashiorkor vs Marasmus

📌 Exam Tip: The Flag Sign is a classic finding in Kwashiorkor. Other hallmark features include edema, fatty liver, moon face, flaky paint dermatosis, and sparse, discolored hair.