Toggle: English /
Spanish
Failure to thrive
Definition:
Failure to thrive is a description applied to children whose current weight or rate of weight gain is significantly below that of other children of similar age and sex.
Alternative Names:
Growth failure; FTT
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Infants or children that fail to thrive seem to be dramatically smaller or shorter than other children the same age. Teenagers may have
short stature
or appear to lack the usual changes that occur at puberty. However, there is a wide variation in
normal growth and development
.
In general, the rate of change in weight and height may be more important than the actual measurements.
It is important to determine whether failure to thrive results from medical problems or factors in the environment, such as abuse or neglect.
There are multiple medical causes of failure to thrive. These include:
-
Chromosome
abnormalities such as
Down syndrome
and
Turner syndrome
-
Defects in major organ systems
-
Problems with the
endocrine
system, such as thyroid hormone deficiency,
growth hormone deficiency
, or other hormone deficiencies
-
Damage to the brain or
central nervous system
, which may cause feeding difficulties in an infant
-
Heart or lung problems, which can affect how oxygen and nutrients move through the body
-
Anemia
or other blood disorders
-
Gastrointestinal problems that result in
malabsorption
or a lack of digestive enzymes
-
Long-term
gastroenteritis
and gastroesophageal reflux (usually temporary)
-
Cerebral palsy
-
Long-term (chronic) infections
-
Metabolic disorders
-
Complications of pregnancy and low birth weight
Other factors that may lead to failure to thrive:
-
Emotional deprivation as a result of parental withdrawal, rejection, or hostility
-
Economic problems that affect nutrition, living conditions, and parental attitudes
-
Exposure to infections, parasites, or
toxins
-
Poor eating habits, such as eating in front of the television and not having formal meal times
Many times the cause cannot be determined.
-
Review Date: 8/16/2006
-
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
|
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's
accreditation program
is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s
editorial process
. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).
|
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.