Paediatric Palliative Care Guidelines
search     associated sites     
Menu
 Home
Index
Related Topics
Anorexia - Definition
Anorexia - Causes
Archived Topics
Nausea & vomiting Introduction
Drug management of N & V
Non-drug management of N & V
Pathophysiology of N & V
Anorexia - Definition
Anorexia - Causes
Anorexia - Management
Management of cachexia
Management of hiccough
Sialorhoea - Definition
Sialorhoea - Pathophysiology
Sialorhoea - Symptoms
Sialorhoea - Causes
Sialorhoea - Management
Log in
Username:
Password:
You only need to log in if you are an editor.
Preferences
Edition/Revision: 1.0
Archived
SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT » Gastrointestinal & Oral symptoms

Anorexia - Management - Archived

  • Identify possible causes and treat appropriately
  • Reassure parents that an inactive child will have a reduced requirement for food.
  • Alter food:
    • Use smaller portions
    • Use smaller plates
    • Encourage more frequent meals
    • Allow parents to give their children fast foods
    • Be flexible with timings of meals
    • Make food less effort to eat – mash, soups etc.
  • Involve dietitian early
  • Use food supplements but remember they often do not taste good but can be made more palatable by serving cold.
  • Anabolic steroids such as Prednisolone or Dexamethasone can be used in short 5-7 day bursts to increase appetite.  Unfortunately their side effects, particularly those of body distortion, severely limit their longer term use.
  • Other medical stimulants of appetite include some antipsychotics and other psychoactive medications.  Again, the adverse effects of these are often significant and they should be used with great caution in children.  There is a risk of prescribing medications to a child in order to treat his or her parents’ need to feed the child.
Edition/Revision: 1.0
Created 18 Jul 2013 - Archived
Validated 19 Jul 2013 by Ian Back
Last modified 25 Apr 2024
Copyright © 2013 - 2024
Mon 29 Apr 2024 10:27:24 GMT +0100 (DST)
Last modified 25 Apr 2024