Outcomes of children aged 6–59 months with severe acute malnutrition at the GADO Outpatient Therapeutic Center in Cameroon

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess outcomes [rates of recovery, default, case fatality; rate of weight gain and rate of Mean Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) gain] of children aged 6–59 months with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) at the Outpatient Therapeutic Center at Gado Refugee Camp, Cameroon, in relation to international standards. We retrospectively analysed files of 254 children with SAM aged 6–59 months admitted from April 2015 to August 2016. RESULTS: 72.8% got discharged as recovered, 0.8% died and none defaulted. 26.8% got referred to stabilization center, mostly for poor weight gain (44.1%). Mean rate of weight gain was 4.4 g/kg/day and MUAC gain 0.3 mm/cm/day; median duration of treatment 44.5 days. Amongst those with marasmus, kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor, median duration of stay was 48, 24.5 and 36.3 days (p = 0.002); recovery rates were similar 73, 71.4, 71.4% respectively (p = 0.7); Median rates of weight gain, 4.4, 6.7 and 8.1 g/kg/day (p = 0.05). 49 children had been incorrectly diagnosed and treated as SAM. International Standards were met in terms of case fatality rate and default rate but not rates of recovery and weight gain. Separate gender charts must be used to calculate weight for height z scores as combined charts cause significant errors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3177-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.