IL6&8 in Malnourished Children With Acute Diarrhea

Group 1: Cases (Malnourished children with acute diarrhea) Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 6 months to 5 years. * Severe acute malnutrition. Infants and children who are 6-59 months of age and have a mid-upper arm circumference \< 115 mm or a weight for height/length \<-3 Z-score of the WHO growth standards or have bilateral edema. * Acute diarrhea: Defined according to WHO criteria as the "passage of loose or watery stools at least three times in a 24 h period", lasts less than 14 days, with or without fever or vomiting, but considering the importance of change in stool consistency rather than frequency, and the usefulness of parental insight in deciding whether children have diarrhea or not. Exclusion Criteria: * History of antibiotic therapy in the last 72 hours. * Acute diarrhea in association with systemic infections * Malignancy * Chronic diarrhea * Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. * Chronic renal/liver failure * Diabetes mellitus Group 2: Control (Non-malnourished children with acute diarrhea) Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy children aged 6 months to 5 years. * Acute diarrhea Exclusion Criteria: * Malnutrition or obesity * History of antibiotic therapy in the last 72 hours. * Acute diarrhea in association with systemic infections * Malignancy * Chronic diarrhea * Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. * Chronic renal/liver failure * Diabetes mellitus