What Are the Symptoms of Anorexia in Children?

Anorexia in children is a symptom in children (mainly 3 to 6 years old) with a long-term loss of appetite or lack of appetite. It is a symptom, not a separate disease. Anorexia pediatric, also known as digestive dysfunction, is common in childhood. The main symptoms are vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distension, abdominal pain and blood in the stool. These symptoms not only reflect functional or organic diseases of the digestive tract, but also often occur in diseases of other systems, especially in central nervous system diseases or mental disorders and various infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to inquire about the medical history in detail, closely observe the changes in the condition, and correctly diagnose and treat the primary disease.

Anorexia in children is a symptom in children (mainly 3 to 6 years old) with a long-term loss of appetite or lack of appetite. It is a symptom, not a separate disease. Anorexia pediatric, also known as digestive dysfunction, is common in childhood. The main symptoms are vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distension, abdominal pain and blood in the stool. These symptoms not only reflect functional or organic diseases of the digestive tract, but also often occur in diseases of other systems, especially in central nervous system diseases or mental disorders and various infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to inquire about the medical history in detail, closely observe the changes in the condition, and correctly diagnose and treat the primary disease.

Causes of anorexia in children

1. Effects of systemic diseases

Many acute and chronic infectious diseases are manifested as anorexia, of which digestive tract diseases are particularly obvious, such as peptic ulcer, acute and chronic hepatitis, acute and chronic enteritis, and long-term constipation can cause anorexia.

2. Drug effects

Many drugs, especially antibiotics, easily cause nausea and vomiting, such as erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and sulfa drugs can also cause anorexia. Vitamin A or Vitamin D poisoning also shows anorexia. Some anticancer drugs are more likely to cause anorexia.

3. Trace element deficiency

Zinc deficiency often manifests as anorexia, and certain endocrine hormones such as hypothyroidism and relative inadequate corticosteroids may also manifest as anorexia.

4. Climate impact

Such as summer heat is also the cause of anorexia.

5. Improper feeding

This is currently the most prominent reason, especially in cities. The reasons are the improvement of the family economy, the increase in the food supply for children in the market, the spoilage of the only child, the lack of scientific feeding knowledge by parents, the eating of snacks, the consumption of cold drinks, and the giving of "nutritive foods", some high-protein, high-sugar foods (such as chocolate) Anti appetite decreases.

6. Anorexia nervosa

Only refers to a type of anorexia caused by mental factors. The pathogenesis and clinical manifestations are as follows:

(1) Acute mental irritation If a child is strongly frightened, he is debilitated, his activity is suppressed, and his appetite is reduced. Such anorexia often does not last long, and the appetite for intimidation will recover.

(2) Subacute or chronic mental stimulation When leaving a loved one and a familiar environment to enter a nursery or other new environment, they are not adapted to the new environment, their mood is low, their appetite is reduced, and sometimes vomiting occurs after meals. Family misfortune or parents divorce.

(3) Impact of wrong education Parents demand too much on children, restrict their freedom, prevent them from playing with other children, or restrict where they want to go, affect their emotions, and reduce appetite. Parents pay too much attention to children's eating, repeatedly induce or annoyed by threats.

(4) Intractable anorexia nervosa Individual girls can be very anorexia nervosa, the patient is extremely thin, weak, and similar to severe malnutrition. Such as low body temperature, fear of cold, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, extremities cyanosis, older girls have amenorrhea, anemia, and vitamin, protein deficiency characteristics.

Clinical manifestations of anorexia in children

The main clinical manifestations are vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distension, abdominal pain and blood in the stool.

Anorexia in children

1. Coffee-like substance and fecal occult blood test were positive in gastric tube during gastrointestinal bleeding, and hemoglobin level decreased;

2. Serum electrolytes, blood glucose, blood gas, and plasma osmotic pressure reflect whether the body environment is balanced;

3. Monitor the liver and kidney function, serum myocardial enzymes, etc. of bloating patients to observe the degree of functional damage of various organs throughout the body;

4. Fiber gastroscopy is the main method for early diagnosis of stress ulcers. Selective angiography shows that the contrast agent overflows and accumulates next to the blood vessels without dissipating for a long time. X-ray film indicates free ulcer perforation in the abdominal cavity Ultrasound images may include thickening of the stomach wall, hypertrophy of mucosal folds, and so on.

Diagnosis of anorexia in children

Anorexia is the main complaint often encountered in pediatrics. Find out if it is indeed anorexia. Some parents require children to eat too much, and sometimes children have large changes in food intake or partial eating, which can be mistaken for anorexia. A thorough understanding of the history, physical examination and necessary laboratory tests is required to exclude the effects of digestive and systemic diseases on the digestive tract. Consult the children's home and school environment for any factors that affect eating habits.

Anorexia in children

1. Take the child to a pediatric or digestive medicine department of a regular hospital for a comprehensive and detailed examination, exclude those chronic diseases that can cause anorexia, and exclude iron and zinc deficiency. Anorexia caused by the primary disease should be actively treated.

2. Regular diet, regular meals to ensure diet hygiene; regular lifestyle, adequate sleep, regular bowel movements; comprehensive nutrition, eat more coarse grains and fruits and vegetables; control snacks and sweets, drink less beverages.

3. Improve the eating environment so that children can focus on eating and maintain a comfortable mood.

4. Parents should avoid paying too much attention to their children's eating behavior; when the child deliberately refuses to feed, do not accommodate, such as one or two meals, and the parents should not worry, which means that the child has enough energy to reach A child will naturally require food for a certain period of time; it must never be met as a condition for the child to eat.

5. Strengthen physical exercise.

6. Don't take medicine blindly, you can take traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine that regulate the spleen and stomach and promote digestion and absorption.