Failure to thrive is most commonly diagnosed before two years of age, when growth rates are highest, though FTT can present among children and adolescents of any age. Caretakers may express concern about poor weight gain or smaller size compared to peers of a similar age. Physicians often identify failure to thrive during routine office visits, when a child's growth parameters such as height and weight are not increasing appropriately on growth curves. Other signs and symptoms may vary widely depending on the etiology of FTT. It is also important to differentiate stunting from wasting, as they can indicate different causes of FTT. "Wasting" refers to a deceleration in stature more than 2 standard deviations from median weight-for-height, whereas "stunting" is a drop of more than 2 standard deviations from the median height-for-age. The characteristic pattern seen with children with inadequate nutritional intake is an initial deceleration in weight gain, followed several weeks to months later by a deceleration in stature, and finally a deceleration in head circumference. Inadequate caloric intake could be caused by lack of access to food, or caretakers may notice picky eating habits, low appetite, or food refusal. FTT caused by malnutrition could also yield physical findings that indicate potential vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as scaling skin, spoon-shaped nails, cheilosis, or neuropathy. Lack of food intake by a child could also be due to psychosocial factors related to the child or family. It is vital to screen patients and their caretakers for psychiatric conditions such as depression or anxiety, as well as screen children for signs and symptoms of child abuse, neglect, or emotional deprivation. Children who have FTT caused by a genetic or medical problem may have differences in growth patterns compared to children who suffer from FTT due to inadequate food intake. A decrease in length with a proportional drop in weight can be related to long-standing nutritional factors as well as genetic or endocrine causes. Head circumference, as well, can be an indicator for the etiology of FTT. If head circumference is affected initially in addition to weight or length, other factors are more likely causes than inadequate intake. Some of these include intrauterine infection, teratogens, and some congenital syndromes. Children who have a medical condition causing FTT may have additional signs and symptoms specific to their condition. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has been associated with FTT, and can present with characteristic findings including microcephaly, short palpebral fissures, a smooth philtrum and a thin vermillion border. Disorders that cause difficulties absorbing or digesting nutrients, such as Crohn's<unk> , cystic fibrosis, or celiac<unk> , can present with abdominal symptoms. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, abdominal distention, hyperactive bowel sounds, bloody stools, or diarrhea.
symptom of Hirschsprung's disease
symptom of Necrotizing enterocolitis
symptom of Stomach cancer
symptom of Intussusception 
symptom of Small intestine cancer
symptom of Hiatal hernia
symptom of Ulcerative colitis
medical cause of Constipation