Q. Why is my 11 year old son losing weight all of a sudden from last year?

Creator: Dr. Vijaykumar Mundeshi
Published: 2017-03-19T22:30:16-04:00

Answered by

Dr. Vijaykumar Mundeshi

and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.

Published on Mar 19, 2017

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I have an 11 year old son who weighs 25 kg and is 138 cm tall. Everyone feels that something is wrong with him, as he is losing weight from the past three years, and it is severe for the last year. He is a slow eater and eats for 40 minutes to an hour, even small meal. We keep telling him to eat fast, but he chews a lot and keeps the food in his mouth for a long time. He passes hard stool every day. In his childhood, he had a constipation problem, and he used to go once in three to four days. He is a pure vegetarian but has eggs. We try to give him a balanced diet as much as possible. He drinks milk in the morning by 6 AM. He is academically above average and has a good overall personality. He is having a problem in pronouncing "r," instead he pronounces it "l." He falls sick very rarely and takes a yearly anti-flu dose. At birth, he was in an incubator for 10 to 15 days with jaundice, as he swallowed amniotic fluid. I am attaching the CBC, thyroid profile, and vitamin D report. I will be glad if you help us in finding any real cause for his low weight.

Answer

Dr. Vijaykumar Mundeshi

Child Health Paediatrics

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through the details that you have provided and the blood test report (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

His problems are being underweight, fussy eater, constipation, and speech articulation problem. The blood tests show only vitamin D deficiency.

His weight has to be improved. It is fine if he eats slow and for an extended time, but make sure he consumes frequent meals, and his diet is a nutritious and high-calorie one.

Cut down milk consumption to half of what he takes now. Include more vegetables and fruits, and more fibers will help with constipation.

If his constipation does not improve with diet modification, then he might need medications, so please follow up in that case.

Try different varieties of foods, he might not be liking what he is offered now.

For his speech problem, I suggest you consult a speech therapist to find what type of problem he is facing and get appropriate help.

Vitamin D 600 units daily for three months and repeat the test. Consult your doctor, discuss with him or her and take treatment with consent.

Investigations to be done are.

Urine routine.
Liver function test.
Serum calcium.
Blood sugar, if he has lost his weight recently.

For more information consult a paediatrician online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/paediatrician

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for replying. I wanted to know the underlying cause since he is grossly underweight for no reason. Will try to make a further balanced diet plan. About vitamin D 600 units, I request to please specify what to administer. He is afraid of injections, so tablets or suspension should be ideal. I am attaching some other reports that we had taken earlier.

Answer

Dr. Vijaykumar Mundeshi

Child Health Paediatrics

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is tough to tell the exact reason without examining, and the basic blood test report is normal.

3D Forte drops 0.75 ml once a day for vitamin D deficiency.

It would be better if you investigate thoroughly for failure to thrive and malabsorption if he does not show any signs of improvement in two weeks. His height is borderline, which needs close monitoring.

For further queries consult a paediatrician online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/paediatrician