Failure to Thrive
Also written as FTT.
Symptoms are frequently non-specific, such as failure to thrive and irritability
What our notes say
- Symptoms are frequently non-specific, such as failure to thrive and irritability (Paediatrics end of 2nd semester exam (MBPE 4300): 5 October 2021, 50 MCQs)
- GERD can cause aspiration, apnoea, strictures and failure to thrive. (Paediatrics end of 2nd semester exam (MBPE 4300): 5 October 2021, 50 MCQs)
- A year later he now has failure to thrive and has been getting one bacterial pneumonia after another with both Hemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae cultured from his sputum. (Immunopathology complete mcqs — Past Paper Questions & Answers)
- A 2-year-old child has had failure to thrive for a year, becoming increasingly listless. (CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY — Past Paper Questions & Answers)
- Feeding problems: choking, allergies, early childhood caries, reflux, colic, failure to thrive (Complete Nutrition Science: Macronutrients & Health Foundations)
- Underfeeding leads to failure to thrive, poor growth, and developmental delays. (Bnd 3104 Nutrition And Dietetics)
Study material on Failure to Thrive
- Paediatrics end of 2nd semester exam (MBPE 4300): 5 October 2021, 50 MCQs
- Liver Function Tests (LFTs)
Practice questions on Failure to Thrive
A 1-month-old infant has failure to thrive. On examination a heart murmur is auscultated over the chest. No cyanosis is noted. Echocardiography shows a left-to-right shunt just above the muscular interventricular septum. An abnormality of which of the following structures most likely produced this infant's defect?
- Chordae tendineae
- Crista terminalis
- Endocardial cushion
- Septum primum
- Sinus venosus
Answer: C. The endocardial cushions contribute to the atrioventricular valves and the septae,including the membranous portion of the interventricular septum. This is the most common form of ventricular septal defect (VSD), which is the most common heart defect in liveborns. ---
A male infant is born at term with no congenital anomalies noted. A year later he has failure to thrive and has had one bacterial pneumonia after another, with both *Haemophilus influenzae* and *Streptococcus pneumoniae* cultured from sputum. Which disease is he most likely to have?
- DiGeorge syndrome
- Selective IgA deficiency
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection
- Acute leukemia
- X-linked agammaglobulinemia
Answer: E. * Recurrent bacterial infections suggest impaired B-cell function with lack of immunoglobulin production. Once protective maternal antibodies wane, the disease manifests more severely. ---
A 2-year-old with failure to thrive has a large membranous VSD. What complication is she most likely to develop as an adult if untreated?
- Rib notching
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Myocardial infarction
Answer: C. Large left-to-right VSD causes chronic pulmonary overcirculation → pulmonary hypertension → eventual shunt reversal (Eisenmenger complex). ---
A male infant at 1 year has failure to thrive and recurrent bacterial pneumonias with H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae. Most likely diagnosis?
- Acute leukemia
- DiGeorge syndrome
- Selective IgA deficiency
- X-linked agammaglobulinemia
Answer: D. Recurrent bacterial infections after maternal antibodies wane in a male infant = X-linked agammaglobulinemia (Bruton). Absent B-cell function leads to no gamma globulin production. ---