Wasting and Stunting in Infants and Young Children as Risk Factors for Subsequent Stunting or Mortality: Longitudinal Analysis of Data from Malawi, South Africa, and Pakistan.

WaSt greatly increased the risk of death, particularly in very young infants, but more deaths overall were associated with stunting. Most stunting appeared to be either intrauterine in origin or arose in children without prior wasting. Either stunting and wasting represent alternative responses to restricted nutrition, or stunting also has other, nonnutritional causes.