ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN THE ARAL SEA REGION

The Aral Sea ecological crisis poses a severe and ongoing threat to public health, particularly for the highly vulnerable pediatric population. The constant exposure to toxic aerosolized salts and degraded environmental conditions significantly increases pediatric morbidity. While recurrent respiratory diseases (RRD) are frequently recorded in this region, their complex relationship with secondary nutritional deficiencies and physical growth retardation remains underexplored. Investigating this link is highly relevant and urgently needed to shift the clinical paradigm from purely symptomatic treatment of respiratory infections to targeted, systemic nutritional rehabilitation, ultimately breaking the vicious cycle of chronic illness and physical stunting in these children.