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Diagnosis on a positive fashion of nonorganic failure to thrive
Author(s) -
Panetta Fabio,
Magazzù Domenico,
Sferlazzas Concetta,
Lombardo Mariangela,
Magazzù Giuseppe,
Lucanto Maria Cristina
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.00912.x
Subject(s) - failure to thrive , medicine , predictive value , signs and symptoms , pediatrics , surgery
Aims: To study the predictive value of predefined symptoms and signs for allocating children into one of two groups: nonorganic and organic failure to thrive. Patients and Methods: Two hundred eight outpatients (6 months–14 years old) suffering from failure to thrive (FTT) were included in the study. Predefined symptoms and signs were considered as potential predictors of organic/nonorganic failure to thrive. All patients underwent an established diagnostic work up in order to exclude organic causes of FTT. Results: The percentage of patients without any organic symptom (negative predictive value), who were diagnosed as NOFTT was 92%; the percentage of patients having nonorganic symptoms only (positive predictive value), who were diagnosed as NOFTT was 96%, while their absence does not exclude a NOFTT diagnosis as well (negative predictive value = 41%). Conclusion: The detection of at least one nonorganic symptom or sign, with the exclusion of any organic symptom, can support a diagnosis of nonorganic FTT and therefore only few laboratory investigations seem to be warranted.