Which statement is true about the health effects of modern medicine and malnutrition status?

Which statement is true about the health effects of modern medicine and malnutrition status?

• A. Malnutrition has been essentially eliminated in the United States
• B. Modern medicine has at times been responsible for causing health problems
• C. Persistent undernourishment among children rarely results in serious health problems
• D. Malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem in developed countries

Answer: (B)

Modern medicine can bring great benefits, but it can also introduce health problems through unintended effects of treatments and care. Treatments, medications, and hospital procedures can cause adverse reactions, infections acquired in care settings, complications from interventions, or nutritional issues that arise during illness and treatment. This means that health outcomes from medical care aren’t always purely positive; they can contribute to morbidity in some cases. When considering malnutrition status, medical care can influence nutrition by affecting appetite, digestion, and absorption, or by increasing metabolic demands, and some therapies directly raise nutritional risk (for example, chemotherapy causing mouth ulcers and pain with eating). Because of these possibilities, the statement that modern medicine has at times been responsible for causing health problems is true. Malnutrition has not been essentially eliminated in the United States, and undernourishment among children can lead to serious health problems, while malnutrition remains a concern in developed countries as well.

Modern medicine can bring great benefits, but it can also introduce health problems through unintended effects of treatments and care. Treatments, medications, and hospital procedures can cause adverse reactions, infections acquired in care settings, complications from interventions, or nutritional issues that arise during illness and treatment. This means that health outcomes from medical care aren’t always purely positive; they can contribute to morbidity in some cases. When considering malnutrition status, medical care can influence nutrition by affecting appetite, digestion, and absorption, or by increasing metabolic demands, and some therapies directly raise nutritional risk (for example, chemotherapy causing mouth ulcers and pain with eating). Because of these possibilities, the statement that modern medicine has at times been responsible for causing health problems is true.

Malnutrition has not been essentially eliminated in the United States, and undernourishment among children can lead to serious health problems, while malnutrition remains a concern in developed countries as well.