refeeding syndrome

noun

medical : a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs from the usually rapid reintroduction of nutrition into a severely malnourished person and that is marked by variable symptoms including muscle weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, hypotension, arrhythmia, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, coma, or death

Note: Refeeding syndrome results from disturbances in metabolism which follow refeeding and especially depletion of electrolytes (such as phosphate), deficiency of thiamine, retention of fluid, and hyperglycemia.

The major adverse effect associated with the treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa is the refeeding syndrome, a relatively rare but potentially life-threatening condition characterized by shifts in fluids, electrolytes, and minerals, along with alterations in nutrient metabolism and other related changes.

—Evelyn Attia et al.

Examples of refeeding syndrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An Arabic language infographic on treating refeeding syndrome, a serious condition resulting from chronic starvation, was widely on social media in the wake of the prisons' opening. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024

People with severe malnutrition can also develop refeeding syndrome, a condition that occurs when nutrients are suddenly reintroduced after a long period of starvation. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 8 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

refeeding syndrome

noun

: a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs from the usually rapid reintroduction of nutrition into a severely malnourished person and that is marked by variable symptoms including muscle weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, hypotension, arrhythmia, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, coma, or death

Note: Refeeding syndrome results from disturbances in metabolism which follow refeeding and especially depletion of electrolytes (as phosphate), deficiency of thiamine, retention of fluid, and hyperglycemia.

Refeeding syndrome is characterized by electrolyte depletion (hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia, and hypomagnesemia), fluid retention causing edema, and hyperglycemia.

—Sondra S. Crosby et al.