Hypotrophy

General description of the disease

This is a pathology that is one of the types of dystrophy. This disease is typical for children under the age of 3 years and develops due to insufficient nutrition. Hypotrophy is diagnosed when the increase in body weight in relation to height and age is below normal by 10% or more[3].

This type of dystrophy is manifested not only by insufficient weight in relation to the growth of the child, but also by reduced skin turgor, developmental delay and is usually accompanied by a significant decrease in immunity.

This pathology is a serious global problem and is one of the causes of infant mortality.

Classification of hypotrophy

Depending on the nature of the occurrence, there are:

  • primary type – is an independent pathology that develops due to insufficient nutrition;
  • the secondary type is a companion of any disease.

Depending on the period of occurrence, the following are classified:

  • a congenital form, which is characterized by a violation of the intrauterine development of the fetus, as a result of which the newborn has a low body weight;
  • an acquired form in which the newborn has a normal body weight, but subsequently the weight decreases.

Depending on the severity of the course of the disease, there are:

  • mild degree;
  • average hypotrophy;
  • severe degree.

Causes of hypotrophy

Intrauterine factors:

  • diseases of a woman during pregnancy;
  • poor nutrition of the expectant mother;
  • severe stress and nervous breakdowns;
  • bad habits in a woman during the period of bearing a child;
  • work of a pregnant woman in hazardous work;
  • preterm delivery;
  • fetal hypoxia;
  • if the height and weight of the expectant mother is below normal; height – up to 150 cm or weight up to 45 kg.

External factors;

  • not good enough care for the baby;
  • infectious diseases;
  • malnutrition of the child;
  • hypogalactia;
  • lactase deficiency;
  • profuse regurgitation in the baby after feeding;
  • fetal alcohol syndrome;
  • diseases of the baby that prevent him from sucking normally: cleft lip and others;
  • the quality and quantity of food is insufficient for the age of the baby;
  • an excess of vitamins D and A;
  • drug intoxication;
  • feeding the baby with milk formulas that have expired.

Internal factors:

  • anomalies in the development of internal organs;
  • immunodeficiency states;
  • improper metabolism;
  • disturbances in the digestive tract.

Symptoms of hypotrophy

Symptoms of this pathology in newborns can be visually detected immediately after the birth of the child. The symptomatology of the disease depends on the form of malnutrition:

  1. 1 I degree is characterized by:
  • reduced skin turgor;
  • pallor of the skin;
  • lack of body weight in the range of 10-20%;
  • possible sleep disorder;
  • thin subcutaneous fat layer;
  • a slight decrease in appetite;

With hypotrophy of the XNUMXst degree, the state of health as a whole remains normal and the general development of the child at the same time corresponds to the age norm.

  1. 2 For hypotrophy of II degree, the following symptoms are characteristic:
  • lack of appetite;
  • heart palpitations can be replaced by bradycardia;
  • muscle hypotension;
  • there are signs of rickets;
  • unstable stools;
  • lethargy or vice versa excitement of the child
  • peeling and flabbiness of the skin;
  • the absence of a subcutaneous fat layer in the abdomen and limbs in a child;
  • frequent pneumonia.
  1. 3 Degree III hypotrophy is different:
  • underweight of more than 30%;
  • belated reactions to external stimuli;
  • a wrinkled face resembling an old man’s mask;
  • sinking eyeballs;
  • hypotension;
  • weak thermoregulation;
  • the appearance of cracks in the corners of the mouth;
  • hypoglycemia;
  • pallor of the mucous membranes.

Complications of hypotrophy

Hypotrophy is always accompanied by reduced immunity, so patients are prone to frequent colds and infectious diseases with complications.

With incorrect treatment, malnutrition can go to grade 3 and end in the death of the patient.

Prevention of hypotrophy

In order to avoid fetal malnutrition, expectant mothers should observe the daily regimen, minimize the impact on the fetus of negative external factors, and treat pregnancy pathologies in time.

After the baby is born, the main focus should be on:

  1. 1 properly balanced nutrition of a nursing mother;
  2. 2 introduce the complementary foods recommended by the pediatrician on time;
  3. 3 regularly monitor the growth and weight of the baby;
  4. 4 visit a pediatrician in a timely manner.

Treatment of malnutrition in official medicine

The method of therapy depends on the degree of pathology and the factors that provoked its development. The basis of treatment is proper baby care and balanced nutrition.

The pediatrician prescribes vitamins and enzymes that promote better absorption of food.

Usually, grade I hypotrophy therapy is carried out on an outpatient basis. For more complex forms of the disease, treatment should be carried out in a hospital setting.

Diet therapy consists in frequent feeding of the child in small portions. Babies who have impaired sucking and swallowing reflexes are fed with a tube.

In severe malnutrition, vitamins, adaptogens and enzymes are administered intravenously. From physiotherapeutic methods, preference is given to physiotherapy exercises, massage and UFO.

Useful foods for malnutrition

The basis of complex treatment for malnutrition is good nutrition. In children with this pathology, the need for nutrients is increased. Therefore, the diet should be built taking into account all the age-related needs of the child.

For babies 1-2 months old, the best nutrition is breast milk. If the mother does not have milk and there is no way to get donor milk, then infant formula should be used.

Usually, hypotrophy is accompanied by a disturbance in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, therefore nutritionists recommend introducing sour-milk products into the diet, which are not only well absorbed, but also promote digestion. For children under one year old, adapted fermented milk mixtures are recommended, and for older children, you can give kefir, fermented baked milk and yogurt.

Timely introduction of complementary foods is of great importance. For children suffering from malnutrition, complementary foods can be prescribed earlier than their peers. Mashed vegetables can be started from 3,5-4 months, and minced meat after 5 months. Cottage cheese can be given in the first months of life in order to correct the amount of protein in the baby’s diet. For older children, the amount of protein is adjusted with the help of enpits – modern dietary products with a high protein content. This is a dry milk mixture, contains an increased amount of vitamins, vegetable oils and trace elements, which is added in small amounts to main dishes or drinks.

The daily diet should be spread over 6 or more meals. If the child does not want to eat, it makes no sense to force him, it is better to skip a meal and after a couple of hours offer him to eat again.

At the beginning of the meal, it is advisable to give the baby some kind of product that increases appetite. This can be fresh vegetables, pickles, a piece of herring, sour fruits or juices. To enhance the separation of digestive juices, nutritionists recommend a strong meat broth.

As a rule, hypotrophy is accompanied by hypovitaminosis, therefore, the diet of a small patient should have a sufficient amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Traditional medicine for malnutrition

  • to increase the appetite of adults, traditional healers recommend drinking a drink consisting of beer and milk in a 1: 1 ratio;
  • to strengthen the body in case of exhaustion, a mixture is useful, consisting of 100 g of aloe, juice of 4 lemons, 500 ml of honey and 400 g of walnut kernels[2];
  • take a spoonful of honey several times during the day;
  • mix honey with royal jelly in equal proportions, put under the tongue one hour before meals;
  • infusion of black currant leaves is indicated for weakness and anemia;
  • for a baby up to a year, candles from royal jelly are recommended three times a day;
  • boiled onion mixed with honey and apple cider vinegar increases appetite[1].

Dangerous and harmful products with malnutrition

In order to avoid the possibility of malnutrition of the newborn, the expectant mother should eat right and minimize the consumption of foods such as:

  • margarine and trans fats;
  • fast food products;
  • store mayonnaise and sauces;
  • canned fish and meat shop;
  • pickles and smoked meats;
  • sweet soda;
  • alcohol;
  • fried and spicy foods.
Information sources
  1. Herbalist: golden recipes for traditional medicine / Comp. A. Markov. – M .: Eksmo; Forum, 2007 .– 928 p.
  2. Popov A.P. Herbal textbook. Treatment with medicinal herbs. – LLC “U-Factoria”. Yekaterinburg: 1999.— 560 p., Ill.
  3. Wikipedia, article “Hypotrophy”.
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The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!

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