Failure to thrive: A proposed diagnostic approach

Failure to thrive is a general term describing infants who do not reach weight, length, or body mass index expected for their age. It can be related often to malnutrition due to inadequate caloric and protein intake, but also to excessive loss of nutrients, inadequate metabolism, inadequate absorption, or excessive caloric and energy expenditure. It may be either organic or inorganic in origin, and in most cases, does not require investigation through complementary examinations. It is associated with social and health detrimental outcomes. Most cases of failure to thrive are of non-organic etiology, thus clinical history evaluation and physical examination are of utmost importance in the management of these patients. Therapeutics includes behavioral or nutritional interventions, as well as treatment of possible underlying diseases. The treatment approach is more effective in improving clinical outcomes if applied as early as possible.