Failure to Thrive: A Growing Concern in the Elderly

The term "failure to thrive" (FTT) was first used in the Ì890s by Holt (1 894) in describing malnourished infants. It has long been a key concept in the field of early childhood development (Bowlby, 1969; Harlow, 1969; Ribble, 1943; Spitz, 1945) as well as in pediatrics (Fischoff, 1971; Hopwood, 1984; Polit, 1976) and nursing (Durand, 1978; Rhymes, 1966; Suran, Ì975). The early work on failure to thrive examined the behaviors of irthnh ?p? young children in relation to their environment. Ribble (1943), for example, noted that rejected infants either reacted with negativism or regression, and she labeled this reaction failure to thrive. The most extreme form she coiled marasmus: pronounced lethargy and lack of interest, deterioration of body reflexes, increased pallor, and atonicity.