Pediatric anorexia

　　IInfluence of systemic diseases:

　　Many acute and chronic infectious diseases have the manifestation of anorexia, especially gastrointestinal diseases, such as peptic ulcers, acute and chronic hepatitis, acute and chronic enteritis, and chronic constipation, all of which can cause anorexia. Among them, anorexia caused by insufficient gastrointestinal motility (functional dyspepsia) has received attention.

　　II. Drug effects:

　　Many drugs, especially antibiotics, can easily cause nausea and vomiting, such as erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamide drugs, which can also lead to anorexia. Almost all antibiotics used for a long time will cause intestinal flora disorder, microecological imbalance, resulting in bloating, nausea, and anorexia. Vitamin A or vitamin D poisoning can also cause anorexia. Some anticancer drugs are more likely to cause anorexia.

　　III. Deficiency of trace elements and insufficient certain endocrine substances:

　　Deficiency of trace elements such as zinc often manifests as anorexia, and certain endocrine substances such as hypothyroidism and relative deficiency of adrenal cortical hormones can also cause anorexia.

　　IV. Food allergy:

　　Some children are allergic to certain foods, manifested as gastrointestinal discomfort, irritability, and chest tightness after eating, and some children may even refuse to eat non-allergenic foods that have similar colors, shapes, and flavors to the allergenic foods they have seen.

　　V. Improper feeding:

　　This is the most prominent reason at present, especially evident in urban areas. The reasons include improved family economy, increased supply of children's food in the market, pampering of only children, lack of scientific feeding knowledge among parents, eating snacks randomly, overindulgence in cold drinks, and giving 'nutrition foods' haphazardly. Some high-protein, high-sugar foods (such as chocolate, etc.) can even lead to a decrease in appetite. Normal children need to empty their stomach contents and lower their blood sugar every 3 to 4 hours to produce appetite. If meals are not taken at regular times, eating snacks or candies before meals, there will always be something in the stomach, and blood sugar will not decrease, resulting in no appetite.

　　Six, Climate influence:

　　For example, the hot weather in summer can also be a cause of anorexia.

　　Seven, Insufficient physical activity:

　　When physical activity is insufficient, children's body consumption decreases, metabolism weakens, and gastrointestinal digestion functions do not receive reinforcement, thereby affecting appetite and digestive function.

　　Eight, Insufficient sleep:

　　Insufficient sleep in children not only affects growth and development but also affects the recovery of body immunity and vitality, thereby affecting appetite and digestive function.

　　Nine, Anorexia nervosa:

　　It refers only to anorexia caused by mental factors. The factors and clinical manifestations of onset are as follows:

　　1. Acute mental stimulation:After children are severely frightened, they may become listless and their activities are suppressed, leading to decreased appetite. This anorexia usually does not last long, and appetite will recover as the fear psychology subsides.

　　2. Subacute or chronic mental stimulation:When children leave their relatives and familiar environment to enter kindergartens or other new environments, they may not adapt to the new environment, be in a low mood, have decreased appetite, and sometimes vomit after meals. Family misfortunes or parental divorce can affect the child's emotions and lead to anorexia.

　　3. The impact of incorrect education:Parents' excessive demands on children, restriction of freedom, preventing them from playing with other children, or restricting places they want to go to, affect their emotions, leading to decreased appetite; parents' excessive attention to children's eating, repeated诱导 or using threat methods to cause aversion and anorexia.

　　4. Intractable nervous anorexia:Individual girls with nervous anorexia can be very serious, with patients extremely thin and weak, similar to severe malnutrition. Symptoms may include low body temperature, aversion to cold, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, cyanosis of the extremities, amenorrhea in older girls, anemia, and characteristics of vitamin and protein deficiency.

　　1. The impact on the digestive system: It is easy to cause a decrease in intestinal function and concurrent diseases such as malnutrition in children.

　　2. The impact on growth and development: Children are in the peak period of growth and development and require more various nutrients than adults. Due to long-term insufficient intake of nutrients, supply and demand are not met, which not only affects the normal growth and development of children but may also cause growth and development to stop, organ atrophy, no weight gain, no increase in height, and even developmental disorders.

　　3. The impact on the immune system: In addition to affecting the growth and development, infant anorexia also affects the normal immune system of children. Due to severe protein-energy deficiency caused by anorexia, there may be disorders in cellular immune function and a decrease in serum antibodies, making it easy to develop various bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. There may be symptoms such as recurrent colds, fever, or recurrent coughing, not eating, and lack of activity.

　　Pediatric anorexia, also known as disorders of digestive function, is very common during childhood. The manifestations of pediatric anorexia also differ from the cause and are not entirely the same. The main symptoms include vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and hematochezia. These symptoms reflect functional or organic diseases of the digestive tract.

　　1. Regular meals, eat less snacks, drink less high-calorie beverages, and eat at regular times.

　　2. Balanced diet, diversified food: Reasonably choose the menu, make coarse and fine adjustments, mix meat and vegetables, let children eat a variety, and eat a full range of foods; pay attention to the variety and style, correct children's aversion to staple foods, 'love meat and hate vegetables' or 'love vegetables and hate meat'偏食 habits; remove the bones from fish, remove the bones from meat, and chop and cook vegetables, cutting fibrous ones into small pieces, threads, or blocks to adapt to the fact that children's digestive organs are not yet fully mature. Eat more foods rich in trace elements (zinc, iron, copper, iodine, etc.), such as animal liver, lean meat, egg yolks, fish, beans, and bean products, peanuts, rapeseed, and other foods.

　　3. Create a quiet and pleasant eating environment: meals should have a fixed place, with suitable children's tableware and chairs, allowing children to sit and eat by themselves; adults should not discuss matters unrelated to meals, and they should not let children run around or play while eating, as this will distract their attention from eating; parents should never scold children while they are eating. Try to deal with matters after meals, and if it is necessary to resolve them, do so with kindness and patience, and never be rough or simplistic, as this may destroy the good atmosphere.

　　When children suddenly change their environment and living habits, parents should help them gradually adapt to the new environment and new living habits.

　　When encountering anorexic children, the first step is to carefully inquire about their medical history and perform a physical examination and necessary tests. Generally, the age of children with anorexia ranges from 1 to 6 years old, and if they show a lack of appetite, aversion to eating, or even refusal to eat for more than 2 months, the disease can be confirmed. However, it is necessary to exclude chronic diseases that can cause anorexia, as well as deficiencies of trace elements and vitamins. Timely blood routine, trace element testing, and related gastrointestinal examinations should be carried out.

　　The hazards of pediatric anorexia

　　Children are in a continuous state of growth and development, and compared to adults, they require more various nutrients. If the supply of various nutrients is insufficient, it not only affects the normal growth and development of children, but in severe cases, it can cause the growth and development to stop, the internal organs to atrophy, which will inevitably affect the normal immune system of children. For children with severe protein-energy malnutrition due to anorexia, cell-mediated immune function disorders and decreased serum antibodies may occur, making them prone to various bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, which often persist and do not heal, even posing a threat to life. Symptoms include recurrent colds, fever, or recurrent coughing, not eating, not being active, no weight gain, and no growth in height, so anorexia, which has a high incidence, wide impact, and危害儿童身体健康的危害，绝不能轻视。

　　Second, dietary therapy for children's anorexia

　　1. 10g of Chrysanthemum flower, one piece of pork flanks, boil in four bowls of water to make two bowls of water, drink as soup.

　　2. 15g of sprouted grain, 10g of Speranskia tuberculata, 10g of Desmodium strobilaceum, 1/3 to 1/4 of pork stomach or cow stomach, boil in four bowls of water to make two bowls of water, drink as soup.

　　1. Rational feeding: Vigorously promote scientific child-rearing knowledge and achieve reasonable feeding. The best feeding method for infants under 4 months is exclusive breastfeeding. Add complementary foods in order, and do not be hasty.

　　2. Cultivate good eating habits: Eating should follow the principle of 'eating to the point of satisfaction but not overeating', eat at regular times, have three meals a day, and add two snacks and fruits in between, which is more appropriate. Eat less fried and hot foods, fatty foods, and cold foods to avoid increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and affecting appetite; maintain a relaxed and pleasant eating mood. If you are full temporarily, you can take some digestive medicine, or you can eat less or not eat for one or two meals, wait until the child is hungry, and then the gastrointestinal tract is unobstructed, and then return to normal meals. The 'hunger therapy' often has unexpected effects, sufficient sleep, and no vigorous activities before and after meals.

　　3. Pay attention to outdoor activities, strengthen physical exercise: Appropriately increase the child's physical activity, which can accelerate gastrointestinal motility, enhance the secretion of digestive juices, increase appetite, and strengthen the digestive and absorptive functions of the gastrointestinal tract.

　　4. Actively treat the primary disease: Treat somatic diseases or gastrointestinal diseases in a timely manner, remove the cause of the disease. Moreover, medication must be taken under the guidance of a doctor, and drugs should not be taken arbitrarily.

　　5. Discontinue the use of antibiotics and other drugs that cause gastrointestinal reactions.

　　6. Deficiency of trace elements:For anorexia caused by zinc deficiency, oral zinc preparations can be given. In addition, dietary supplementation can be done, and more animal foods should be eaten.

　　7. Medication:Digestive aids and gastrointestinal motility drugs can consider hormone therapy for severe refractory anorexia.

　   There are many treatment methods for children's anorexia in traditional Chinese medicine, such as herbal medicine syndrome differentiation treatment, special prescription and medicine treatment, acupuncture and massage treatment, external treatment and pasting treatment, all of which can achieve good effects.