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Feeding disorder of infancy and early childhood

Definition:
A feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood is the failure of a young child to obtain adequate nutrition, which is reflected by weight loss or a failure to gain weight appropriately for development.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Feeding disorders are diagnosed when the infant or young child appears malnourished and the problem is not caused by a medical condition (such as cleft palate, congenital heart disease, or chronic lung disease), or a mental condition (such as any disorder that causes mental retardation).

The cause of these disorders is often unknown, but they often result from a variety of factors such as poverty, dysfunctional child-caregiver interactions, or parental misinformation about appropriate diet to meet the child's needs.



Review Date: 12/22/2002
Reviewed By: Philip L. Graham III, M.D., F.A.A.P., Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of New York, Columbia University, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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