The visual evoked potential in children after kwashiorkor.

An index of the long-term effects of kwashiorkor on the electrocortical development of the child was obtained by recording the visual evoked potential (VEP) of 4 groups of children aged 6--12 years. The malnourished group, consisting of 30 Black children hospitalized for treatment of kwashiorkor during the first 27 months of life, was age-matched with 3 control groups. Some evidence of right hemisphere VEP deficit was found in the kwashiorkor group.