2023 22 Failure to thrive and refeeding syndrome

Failure to thrive is a common everyday clinical problem in paediatrics, and has major adverse effects on child development and long-term health. Failure to thrive has a complex causation: it can be the result of inadequate energy intake, inadequate energy absorption, increased energy utilisation, and psychosocial factors. It can be related to primary malnutrition, chronic organic illness, or genetic causes. We will discuss a way of considering and diagnosing the causes of FTT, the management of FTT (along the lines of the WHO approach to severe acute malnutrition), and we will discuss in detail refeeding syndrome, what it is, and how to recognise and manage it. When discharged, children with FTT need a clear feeding plan, psychosocial support and nutrition education for mother and family, and regular follow-up for growth, chronic illness management, vaccines, development support and sometimes behavioural issues.

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Thankyou Sir