A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of proteins in the diet, characterized by adaptive enzyme changes in the liver, increase in amino acid synthetases, and diminution of urea formation, thus conserving nitrogen and reducing its loss in the urine. Growth, immune response, repair, and production of enzymes and hormones are all impaired in severe protein deficiency. Protein deficiency may also arise in the face of adequate protein intake if the protein is of poor quality (i.e., the content of one or more amino acids is inadequate and thus becomes the limiting factor in protein utilization). (From Merck Manual, 16th ed; Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 12th ed, p406)

Descriptor ID	D011488
MeSH Number(s)	C18.654.521.500.708
Concept/Terms	Protein Deficiency Protein Deficiency Deficiency, Protein Deficiencies, Protein Protein Deficiencies

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Protein Deficiency".

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is related to "Protein Deficiency".

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Protein Deficiency".