Hypotrophy in children

Hypotrophy in children is a chronic eating disorder, in which weight loss is observed. This disease is caused by inadequate intake of nutrients or their incorrect assimilation. As a rule, hypotrophy is observed in children of the first year of life.

Types and causes of hypotrophy in children

Depending on the time of onset, the disease is divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital malnutrition occurs due to:

• pathological course of pregnancy, which caused intrauterine infection of the fetus or impaired blood circulation in the placenta;
• various diseases of the pregnant woman;
• smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy;
• malnutrition of the future mother.

Among the causes that cause acquired hypotrophy in children, distinguish:

• exogenous - nutritional factors (insufficient quantity of milk from the mother, improperly calculated amount of the mixture for the infant with artificial feeding, unilateral feeding), pilorospasm and pyloric stenosis, poisoning with medicines, infections of the gastrointestinal tract, inadequate care of the child;
• endogenous - malformations of the gastrointestinal tract or other organs, central nervous system damage, endocrine diseases, metabolic abnormalities and immunodeficient state of hereditary character.

Degrees of hypotrophy and their symptoms

1. Hypotrophy of the first degree is characterized by a deficiency in body weight of not more than 20%. Reduces the thickness of subcutaneous tissue in all parts of the child's body, except for the face. With a sharp slowdown in weight gain, normal neuropsychic development and a baby's growth are observed. The main symptoms are:

• decreased appetite;
• pallor of the skin;
• muscle tone and tissue elasticity are below normal;
• sleep disturbance.

2. With hypotrophy of the second degree, weight loss reaches 25-30%. In this case, the child has a lag in growth and neuropsychic development. Subcutaneous fat disappears noticeably on the abdomen and on the chest, and on the face it becomes much thinner.

Symptoms characteristic of the second stage of hypotrophy:

• general weakness;
• irritability;
• decreased motor abilities;
• dryness and pallor of the skin;
• violation of thermoregulation;
• unstable chair.

3. Third-degree malnutrition is characterized by a body weight deficit of over 30%. There is a disappearance of subcutaneous tissue in all parts of the body. The child becomes sluggish, his reaction to external stimuli, as well as growth and neuropsychic development slows down. In addition to the above symptoms, there are new signs:

• fall eyeballs and a large fontanel;
• the mucous membranes become dry and bright red;
• decreases blood pressure;
• breathing weakens;
• body temperature drops below normal.

Hypotrophy in children - treatment

Treatment of hypotrophy, which depends on the causes of its occurrence and on the severity, should be comprehensive. At the first stage, there will be enough outpatient treatment, and with the second and third - only in the hospital. First of all, it is necessary pay attention to clarifying and eliminating the causes of this disease. Complex treatment includes general strengthening procedures, diet therapy, the appointment of enzymes and symptomatic drugs, vitamin therapy. When identifying foci of infection, antibiotics are prescribed, and in extreme cases, surgical intervention is performed. In some cases, the use of massage and exercise therapy is effective. Regular walks in the fresh air, as well as proper care of the child, are very important.

Prevention of hypotrophy

It must be remembered that with proper nutrition and child care, newborns may develop hypotrophy only if there are rare metabolic abnormalities or congenital malformations.