Poor feeding in infants

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Toddler development

Overview

Treatment

Poor feeding in infants

Definition:

Poor feeding occurs when an infant demonstrates either a lack of interest in feeding, or an inability to take in adequate nutrition.

Alternative Names:

Feeding - lack of interest; Infant - lack of interest in feeding

Considerations:

Poor feeding is a nonspecific symptom seen in newborn and young infants that can result from many conditions, including infection, metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, structural abnormalities, and neurological disorders.

Poor feeding is not an indicator of the severity of the disease, but it is an indicator that (even in the absence of other symptoms) suggests close watching of the infant.

Common Causes:

Viral gastroenteritis
Galactosemia
Group B streptococcal septicemia of the newborn (late)
Meningitis
Tracheoesophageal fistula
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Birth-acquired herpes
Infant botulism
Congenital hypothyroidism
Hypoplastic left heart
Meningitis H. influenza
Physiologic jaundice of the newborn
Patent ductus arteriosus
Premature infant
Tetralogy of Fallot
Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
Transposition of the great vessels
Truncus arteriosus
Any disorder that causes damage to the nervous system or causes muscle weakness

Review Date: 11/16/2004
Reviewed By: Philip L. Graham III, M.D., M.S., 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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