Failure to thrive is a diagnosis or a term used to describe an infant or child who does not appear to be growing or developing according to accepted developmental norms. Often children or infants labeled ‘failure to thrive’ do not gain weight at appropriate levels over time or tend to remain at the very low ranges of standardized growth charts (usually below the 5th percentile). While the diagnosis is quite general and non-specific, the cause(s) of ‘failure to thrive’ are usually quite complex.
Traditionally, once known underlying medical conditions were ruled out (CNS damage, hormone abnormalities, metabolic disorders, etc.) ‘failure to thrive’ was a condition that was believed to occur most frequently in families where the primary caregiver either could not or would not adequately care for (feed) the child (due to social, economic or psychological factors).
However, ‘failure to thrive’ is now commonly seen in children without other medical diagnoses who are from affluent, stable, and loving homes–homes in which social, economic or psychological factors are less likely to contribute to growth delays. In fact, even children who appear to be consuming adequate daily calories and nutrition are receiving this diagnosis. Why is this happening?
If this condition occurs in an infant/child with adequate care/food intake and who otherwise lacks an established medical condition (like cerebal palsy), there may be other underlying and underrecognized medical problems at play. A child with ‘failure to thrive’ is not absorbing/assimilating nutrients. Why?
The gastrointestinal health and environmental exposures of a child/infant with ‘failure to thrive’ must be considered.
The following symptoms/diagnoses are commonly seen in children/babies with failure to thrive, and all of these conditions indicate that the child is suffering from gut dysbiosis and/or immune dysregulation and/or mitochondrial dysfunction:
- Malabsorption–not absorbing nutrients (caused by a variety of factors, including: damaged gastrointestinal lining, inflammation, food allergy, inadequate probiotic microorganisms and gut dysbiosis, etc.)
- Celiac disease (caused by an immune response to the consumption of wheat/gluten)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (colitis, Crohn’s, etc.) (a variety of causes, including gut dysbiosis and immune dysregulation, food allergies/sensitivities)
- Feeding/swallowing issues (may be caused by a variety of issues, including eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic duodenitis or other allergic-type conditions, gastroesophageal reflux, low muscle tone due to mitochondrial dysfunction, neuromuscular abnormalities, among others)
- Vomiting/reflux disorder (child is unable to keep food down due to one of the above conditions)
- Chronic Diarrhea (may be caused by Celiac, food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.)
- Others
And the etiology of failure to thrive can have even more complex origins (e.g., hypothyroidism). It is critical that you work with an experienced integrative healthcare practitioner who can help you get to the bottom of the condition.
Ultimately, as a parent, it is up to you to be your child’s “health detective” and get to the root cause of the “failure to thrive” diagnosis.
What do I do if my child has been diagnosed as “failure to thrive”?
Get to the bottom of the diagnosis.
Consider having your child evaluated for:
- celiac disease
- food allergies and food sensitivities
- gut dysbiosis (stool test or organic acid test)
- carbohydrate malabsorption/bacterial overgrowth (hydrogen breath test)
Look for other signs of gut dysbiosis or immune dysregulation. Consider having a routine blood test done in your physician’s office to get more information about your child’s condition.
Find a practitioner who can help you get to the bottom of your child’s diagnosis NOW.
Read the story of a mother who got to the bottom of her son’s failure to thrive diagnosis.