Failure to thrive

Abstract

Failure to thrive (FTT) accounts for 1 to 5% of tertiary hospital admissions for patients less than I year of age (1). Many more children, perhaps 10% of a pediatric population, are managed as outpatients by physicians throughout the United States (2). Although the diagnosis of FTT is made frequently, both the term and its value as a diagnosis remain debatable. Despite its established status in medical terminology, the concept of FTT lacks a clarified definition and should be considered a sign or symptom, not a diagnosis or a disease (3).