Stunting, can it be recovered?
Written by:Growth retardation is a term used to describe children who do not gain weight or height for a given period. It also applies to children who are below the 3rd percentile by age and according to standard medical growth charts.
When growth retardation is caused by medical problems it is called organic growth delay. The main causes are: intestinal malabsorption syndromes, renal diseases, chronic infections, endocrine diseases, cancers and chronic cardiopulmonary diseases.
However, 80% of children attending a consultation of Pediatrics with this condition do not have a specific medical problem. In these cases they are referred to non-organic growth delay and occurs in situations where there is inadequate food intake or lack of, very common in children adopted psycho stimuli.
Symptoms of stunting
While every child may experience symptoms differently, the most common symptoms include failure to gain weight or height, irritability, fatigue for no apparent reason, excessive sleepiness, lack of adequate social response to age, avoid eye contact, lack of adaptation to the body of the mother, not issue verbal sounds or delay in motor development.
With the emergence of these symptoms, you should consult an experienced doctor for a diagnosis.
Stunting solution
After cessation or appropriate treatment of the cause that caused the period of growth inhibition is usually a period of rapid linear growth that redirects the child to the original growth channel. It is what is known as growth recovery or "catch-up growth".
However, when the cause has had a serious or significant duration or there is a critical development period (during the first three years of life), recovery may not be complete. Hence the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.
Source: article made based on experience and career doctor.