The medical condition resulting from prolonged famine. Symptoms include extreme emaciation, diarrhea, anemia, and apathy. Women with marasmus usually stop ovulating. The loss of insulating body fat makes people with marasmus highly vulnerable to death resulting from a drop in core body temperature when the air falls below 60-65° F. Children who survive marasmus usually develop short adult stature and some degree of permanent brain damage. See kwashiorkor.