Failure to thrive: Is this even a diagnosis?

[UnXmas]

I got copies of some of my medical notes from recent hospital admissions the other day. On one, one of my (many) diagnoses is listed as "failure to thrive". I thought that was an old-fashioned term applied to young children?! Has anyone else had this? Is it an official diagnosis, or just a vague term meaning I'm underweight? Next to it they've written "patient failed to gain weight despite NG tube and supervised refeeding."

Edit: They've also put a diagnosis of cachexia.

 

[DJW]

I'm with you. I thought it was one of those older terms applied to children.

 

[Catherine]

It's a term usually apply to children but it sometimes used with the elderly as well.

 

[my little penguin]

I know it's was used on my kid prior to dx since he couldn't gain weight despite adding kids boost shakes .
Often it's used in kids only if there is no other reason ( medical cause) for lack of weight growth etc...) typically isn't a stand alone dx at least in kids .
But the code can be used to get inssurance coverage of suppmental formula /ng tubes etc....
Haven't looked into the adult side .

 

[my little penguin]

Found this
https://books.google.com/books?id=Z...a=X&ei=PgWkVN6TFoyhNtj0gYgI&ved=0CDUQ6AEwCDgK

So I guess it's a thing

 

[Kev]

As a child, they used it on me. Then, a generation later, they used it for my youngest (in that case, we came under suspicion that we'd deliberately withheld nourishment from him) ... Fortunately, that theory was dropped when they (those self proclaimed experts) realized he wouldn't thrive for them either. In both cases (his and mine) we almost died.

Is it vague? yes. Is it an outdated term? yes Is it also a real thing? Unfortunately, YES.

Yours can probably be explained by disease. But, since a very similar process occurs in folks without a disease of record to pin it on... and since those 'experts' don't like having to admit they haven't a clue what's going on in every imaginable case, the term stands.

 

[Clash]

To my knowledge, it is a fairly common term used mostly among the very young and very old but often comes into to play with the chronically ill or those that suffer with eating disorders. It is not so much a dx as it is a state.

During one of my son's hospital stays(admitted for joint pain but kept due to failure to thrive) he met several other kids there due to this state, they were all but one much older than him 18-21.

Once C met his weight goal(we were there about 7 days) his failure to thrive label was set aside and he was released.

I don't think the term is as important as the state it describes. That is a very real thing that, as you know, many with chronic digestive issues face.

 

[baistuff]

ICD-9 code 783.7... Adult failure to thrive. Very commonly documented. Can be seen in MANY conditions including and often in IBD. Refers to inadequate feeding resulting in abnormal loss of weight and/or failure of the body to function physically as expected. But can also have a cognitive, psychiatric or social etiologies as well (dementia, anorexia nervosa, chronic alcoho abuse, depression, social withdrawl etc...)

When on hospital rounding, I code this an average of 2-3 times per week, reasons ranging from advanced dementia with poor feeding, fall down drunks, really late stage or advanced cancer, and VERY commonly for many GI disorders (IBD, chronic pancreatitis.)