Feeding disorders in children: modern approaches to diagnosis and management

Abstract

Feeding disorders in young and preschool-age children are a very important problem in modern pediatrics due to the high prevalence and negative consequences for the health and development of children due to chronic nutritional deficiency. Correction of feeding disorders in young children is a long-term process, during which it makes most sense to set short-term goals to reach a favourable outcome in the perspective.In the initial phase, the primary goal is to identify warning signs (“red flags”) that pose a risk to children. The prevailing disorders that make feeding difficult are food selectivity, decreased appetite and fear of eating. Treatment should be complex and aimed, first of all, at the psychological side of the problem, with simultaneous correction of nutrition if necessary. The article presents a modern approach to the management of patients with the most common difficulties in feeding in outpatient pediatric practice. This approach provides for the exclusion of alarming signs of somatic and psychoneurological pathology, assessment of oral motor skills, the nutritional status of children and the identification of pathological types of feeding.At present time, there are four main feeding styles: mindful (authoritative), supervising (authoritarian), indulging and uninvolved. Therapeutic tactics depend on the leading disorder of the eating behaviour. Recommendations for appetite correction depend on the underlying cause of its disorder. Providing the child with the necessary nutrients by prescribing “feeding insurance” through the inclusion of isocaloric food products containing native protein and micronutrients into the food ration, which enables the parents to reduce anxiety and avoid the use of forced feeding approaches.