Most children with non-organic FTT present with growth failure in the first year of life and usually come to medical attention by 6 months of age.
Symptoms of Failure to Thrive
Poor sucking (does not feed well) Hard to feed. Vomiting or diarrhea. Sleeps too much or not enough.
How Common is FTT? About 1% of all children admitted to any hospital and 3 to 5% of all children admitted to a Children's Hospital have failure to thrive. About 10% of clinic visits in urban and rural outpatient settings are for concerns about growth and development.
Symptoms may include: Lack of appropriate weight gain. Irritability. Easily fatigued.
Risk Factors
This problem is more common in babies who are born very early and those who are born with a low birth weight. Other things that may raise a child's risk are: Birth abnormalities, such as laryngomalacia or congenital heart defects. Developmental delay.
Failure to thrive is a delay in weight gain and physical growth that can lead to delays in development and maturation. Medical disorders and a lack of proper nutrition are causes of failure to thrive. The diagnosis is based on a child's growth chart values, physical examination, health history, and home environment.
In some cases, a family may not understand what a baby needs. In severe cases, neglect or abuse may lead to FTT if food is kept from a baby on purpose. FTT can be prevented by seeking early help with a child's nutritional needs.
Sometimes a parent measures formula incorrectly, causing an infant to get too few calories. Problems with breastfeeding or transitioning to solids also can cause failure to thrive.
Symptoms of failure to thrive include: Height, weight, and head circumference do not match standard growth charts. Weight is lower than third percentile of standard growth charts or 20% below the ideal weight for their height. Growth may have slowed or stopped.
Failure to thrive in infants and children may develop as a result of neglect, and in its extreme form it may result in death. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a clinical report guiding the assessment, management, and support of children with failure to thrive as a manifestation of child neglect.
Results. Among the 74 subjects included in the study, the diagnosis of organic failure to thrive was reached by 42%. Gastrointestinal and genetic diagnoses were the most frequent. Patients with organic failure to thrive had significantly lower gestational age and birth weight.
Hospitalization may be necessary when the safety of the child is a concern, outpatient management has failed, or the FTT is severe.
Failure to thrive (FTT), also known as weight faltering or faltering growth, indicates insufficient weight gain or absence of appropriate physical growth in children.
Developmental Disorders Associated With Failure to Thrive
FTT is consistently associated with evidence of neurologic disabilities.
Eating disorders such as failure to thrive, rumination, pica, obesity and anorexia nervosa can affect children with autism spectrum disorders. Children experiencing these problems are at risk for serious health and growth problems that can lead to life threatening consequences.
Failure to thrive is a term used to describe a general state of decline in elderly patients that's characterized by profound weight loss, diminished appetite, poor nutrition, and a lack of physical activity. It is not a diagnosis and it is not a disease.
Children at high risk for nonorganic failure to thrive often come from families in which the mothers have experienced abuse and neglect in their childhood. These mothers often have difficulty relating to others, suffer from chronic depression, and feel overwhelmed and inadequate.
Failure to thrive (FTT) is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Malnutrition is a diagnosis that more accurately describes inadequate nutrition and can be determined via clinical assessment.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization also recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months, with continued breastfeeding along with introducing appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or longer.
The statistical data reveal that children who were breastfed longer than 12 months are 6.67 times less likely to have autism diagnosis than children who were breastfed less than 12 months as shown in Table 3.
This could be because the mother isn't making enough milk, the baby can't get enough milk out of the breast, or the baby has a medical problem. Your baby's healthcare provider should evaluate any instance of poor weight gain. Often, a certified lactation consultant can help.
Slow weight gain could be a problem if: your newborn doesn't regain their birth weight within 10 to 14 days after their birth. your baby up to 3 months old gains less than an ounce a day. your infant between 3 and 6 months gains less than 0.67 ounces a day.