Question: Hi Doctors, my son is 1year8months old. His birth weight is 3.71 kg. He reached 7kg when he was 6 months old but after that, his weight started to drop to 6kg. His current weight is 7.5kg. The paed confirmed that he is underweight and too skinny. Did blood test and cant find the reason why he is underweight as he is eating well. Other than his weight, my son plays, eats and socialize like other normal kids. What could be the reason of his problem and what we can do to increase his weight? (Hanaliza Kamis)
Answer: Cause of poor weight gain can be due to medical causes – chronic illness, nutrition deficiency( lack of nutrition or poor eating habit- picky eating, metabolic illness, problems with the gut and absorption. Also can be due to non medical causes -> environmental, stress, lack of family support. Losing weight is a cause for concern. It is likely though that his calorie intake is almost same as his calorie expenditure as he is likely to be more active and more picky in eating in this phase of his life. An assessment by a paediatrician should ensure no serious cause to this. If he is eating well, active with normal development milestones, it is possible that there is no serious cause. However, it is good to be vigilant and get some assurance.