| Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Signs and symptoms | 275.000000000000 | Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Signs and symptoms | Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Signs and symptoms | A | English | Psychiatry | Toddler (13-24 months);Preschooler (2-4 years);School age child (5-8 years);Pre-teen (9-12 years);Teen (13-18 years) | NA | NA | Conditions and diseases | Caregivers
Adult (19+) | NA | | 2023-09-12T04:00:00Z | | | | | | 12.4000000000000 | 42.3000000000000 | 796.000000000000 | | Health (A-Z) - Conditions | Health A-Z | <p>Learn the main signs and symptoms of ARFID and when ARFID may not be diagnosed.</p> | <p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=274&language=English">Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)</a> can cause serious
<a href="/Article?contentid=273&language=English">complications that require medical attention </a> . See your child's health-care provider if your child displays any of the signs or symptoms outlined below.</p> | | <h2>Key points</h2>
<ul>
<li>A child with ARFID will display a range of physical and behavioural warning signs.</li>
<li>Behavioural signs include a sudden refusal to eat, a fear of choking and difficulty eating meals with others.</li>
<li>Physical signs include delayed growth and, depending on your child's age, weight loss or failure to gain weight.</li>
<li>Doctors will not diagnose ARFID if a child's symptoms can be explained by cultural practice or lack of access to food or if a child's weight loss can be explained by a physical condition or other mental health disorder.</li>
</ul> | | <h2>Behavioural signs of ARFID</h2><h3>Sudden refusal to eat foods</h3><p>A person with ARFID may no longer eat food that they ate previously.</p><h3>Fear of choking or vomiting</h3><p>People with ARFID may refuse certain foods for fear that they will make them choke or vomit.</p><h3>Losing appetite for no known reason</h3><p>A person with ARFID may complain of having no appetite but without a medical or psychological condition to explain it (e.g., migraine, infection or depression).</p><h3>Eating very slowly</h3><p>People with ARFID may consistently eat very slowly or be unable to finish what is served.</p><h3>Difficulty eating meals with family or friends</h3><p>Because of the problems with eating, young people with ARFID may have difficulty taking part in normal social activities, such as eating with friends and family members and maintaining relationships with others.</p><p>Other behavioural signs of ARFID include:</p><ul><li>lack of interest in eating or food</li><li>anxiety</li></ul><h2>Physical signs of ARFID</h2><h3>No longer gaining weight</h3><p>As children are growing, they should always be getting bigger. Clear signs that a child has stopped growing or gaining weight include not needing to wear bigger clothing or shoes. </p><h3>Losing weight</h3><p>Because teens stop growing eventually, ARFID is more likely to be suspected in this age group if someone loses weight. If your teen is losing weight, they should be evaluated by their health-care provider.</p><h3>No growth or delayed growth</h3><p>Children with this disorder may not grow as expected.</p><p>Other physical signs of ARFID include:</p><ul><li>showing signs of malnutrition such as:</li><ul><li>feeling cold all the time</li><li>dizziness</li><li>low energy</li><li>changes in how the heart works </li><li>dehydration</li><li>delayed or stopped menstrual periods</li></ul></ul> | | | <h2>How ARFID is diagnosed</h2><p>Before diagnosing ARFID, your child’s health-care provider should assess your child for a physical disorder that can have similar signs and symptoms.</p><p>A health-care provider will do a complete history (medical, nutritional and psychosocial history) and a thorough physical examination including:</p><ul><li>weight and height (plotting measurement on a growth curve)</li><li>blood pressure and heart rate both lying and standing</li><li>temperature</li><li>assessment of puberty</li></ul><p>They may also do some initial tests including laboratory studies to check the blood and urine for abnormalities, including nutritional deficiencies, and an <a href="https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=1276&language=English">electrocardiogram</a> to check how the heart is functioning.</p><p>Physical disorders that can cause weight loss (or lack of growth or weight gain) include digestive tract disorders that reduce the ability to absorb nutrients from food, hormonal problems such as
<a href="/diabetes">diabetes</a> and other serious conditions such as cancer.</p><p>Your child's health-care provider should also consider other mental health conditions that can cause weight loss, such as <a href="/Article?contentid=19&language=English">depression</a>,
<a href="/Article?contentid=18&language=English">anxiety</a>, schizophrenia and other eating disorders such as
<a href="/Article?contentid=268&language=English">anorexia nervosa</a> or
<a href="/Article?contentid=282&language=English">bulimia nervosa</a>.</p><h3>Symptoms that
<em>do not</em> lead to an ARFID diagnosis</h3><p>ARFID is
<em>not diagnosed</em> in a child or teen if their symptoms can be explained by:</p><ul><li>lack of available food, for example if they live in poverty</li><li>cultural practice, for example if they fast during Ramadan or Yom Kippur</li><li>another medical condition such as
<a href="/diabetes">diabetes</a> or
<a href="/Article?contentid=923&language=English">Crohn's disease</a></li><li>a mental health disorder or eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.</li></ul> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <h2>At SickKids</h2><p>SickKids has an eating disorder program that treats children and teens who are struggling with symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. For more information on our program visit: <a href="http://www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/eating-disorders-program">www.sickkids.ca/adolescentmedicine/eating-disorders-program</a></p> | <h2>Further information</h2><p>For more information on avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), please see the following pages:</p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=274&language=English">ARFID: Overview</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=273&language=English">ARFID: Medical complications</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=703&language=English">ARFID: Treatment options</a></p><p>
<a href="/Article?contentid=272&language=English">ARFID: How to help your child at home</a></p><p>Please visit our teen mental health hub for teen-specific resources on
<a href="https://teens.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=3789&language=English&hub=mentalhealthAZ#mentalhealth">avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)</a>.</p><h2>Resources</h2><p>
<a href="http://www.nedic.ca/" target="_blank">NEDIC – National Eating Disorder Information Centre</a> (Canada)<br></p><p>
<a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/" target="_blank">NEDA – National Eating Disorder Association</a> (United States)</p><p>American Academy of Pediatrics –
<em>
<a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Is-Your-Teen-at-Risk-for-Developing-an-Eating-Disorder.aspx" target="_blank">Eating Disorders in Children</a> </em></p><p>
<a href="https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/" target="_blank">BEAT – Beating Eating Disorders</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>
<a href="https://keltyeatingdisorders.ca/" target="_blank">Kelty Eating Disorders</a> (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, BC Children's Hospital)</p><p>Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario –
<a href="https://www.cheo.on.ca/en/eating_disorder_info" target="_blank">
<em>Eating Disorders</em></a></p><p>
<a href="https://anad.org/">ANAD – National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders</a> (United States)</p> | | <img alt="" src="https://assets.aboutkidshealth.ca/AKHAssets/Avoidant_restrictive_warning_signs.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | https://assets.aboutkidshealth.ca/AKHAssets/Avoidant_restrictive_warning_signs.jpg | | | | | | | Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Signs and symptoms | | False | | | | | | | | |
