Malnutrition is rarely identified as a specific cause of mortality, but it is an underlying contributory factor in at least one third of child deaths in developing countries. Depicted here are hospital case fatality rates from children admitted to Gambian hospitals with various primary diagnoses. The children analyzed were all malnourished, i.e., had low weight-for-height (WFH). As shown, the extent of malnutrition (WFH z score < –4 being the most severely malnourished) correlates with the chance of an adverse survival outcome in most diseases. WFH z score < –4, patients who are more than 4 standard deviations below the mean WFH; WFH z score = –3 to –4, patients who are 3–4 standard deviations below the mean WFH; WFH z score = –2 to –3, patients who are 2–3 standard deviations below the mean WFH; WFH z score > –2, patients who are less than 2 standard deviations below the mean WFH. Data collated by Man et al. (12).