About this Research Topic
Traditionally feeding difficulties were initially approached by gastroenterologists based on organic diagnosis, especially reflux, reflux diseases, esophagitis, and malabsorption. In the last 15 years, pediatricians and nutrologists have dedicated their attention to appetite and relative issues regarding poor intake, behavioral conditions, environment and parental relations.
Psychiatrists and psychology professionals have started a movement to integrate feeding difficulties in DSM V and CID- 10, under the term Feeding problems, Disordered eating and several feeding problems related to emotional conditions ( selective feeding - picky eaters- disordered eating- infantile anorexia and others). This was criticized by many pediatric societies in order NOT to associate feeding problems with possible medication.
General pediatricians, gastroenterologists, nutritionists, and other health professionals around the world started to discuss feeding difficulties as any possible issue regarding feeding in children, from a very mild condition as poor appetite during an episode of upper airways infection to the most severe cases of autism. Prof Benny Kerzner and his team tried to establish a diagnose method based on questionnaires and clinical evaluation. Many professionals in different parts of the world proposed a new approach based on 3 possible causes for feeding difficulties- poor appetite, selective behavior and fobia or panic. Every one of them has an increase diagnose step- from misunderstanding of the complain to organic problems.
Multidisciplinary approaches to diagnose and to prevent future damages on health, growth and development must be established. Integrative sensory therapy is directly related to the most severe cases of sensorial selectiveness.
Based on that we propose a Feeding Difficulties collection in Frontiers in Pediatrics to cover the following aspects:
1) epidemiological surveys in feeding difficulties, anorexia, disordered eating behaviors
2) from neofobia to other physiological conditions leading to poor appetite
3) physiological evaluation of taste, paladar, receptors for taste. Hormonal regulation of appetite in children
4) parental style and feeding issues.
5) trace elements - zinc, copper, iron and others related to poor appetite, taste and selective behavior
6) nutritional evaluation of children with poor appetite
7) consequences of feeding difficulties- from biochemical profile, growth, development- to emotional evaluation, bullying
8) Mania, obsessive compulsive disease, intense selective feeding disorders.
9) Anorexia, bulimia and compulsion - related to poor or disordered eating.
10) New feeding behaviors leading to nutritional intake deficits- gluten, lactose, meat and other trends.
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