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Child Behaves Differently, Looks Pale And Have Loss Of Appetite. What Could Be The Reason?

Posted on Fri, 26 Apr 2013

Question: H, my daughter she will be 4 in May has been complaint of being tired for past 6 months now. Recently she has been behaving not herself she is very quiet and does not replay to my questions. Seems to be troubling by something. She is not smiling a lot as well. Her skin is pale and has bluish color and for the past 3 weeks her hands and feet are very cold. She pace circuls at home and daydreams a lot. She was vimoting on Thursdays but still looks like she has got some kind of virus. She has got poor appetite but will eat hight sugar food. Her sleep is goes at 7pm and sometimes sleeps till 10am. What are your suggestions? Thank u

Answered by Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thanks for writing to health care magic.

Pale skin, lack of appetite, decreased activity one cause could be anemia. What is her hemoglobin level (if at all done)?

Vomiting, poor appetite can also be caused by jaundice. Just have a look at her eyes. Do they look yellowish in color? What is the color of her urine and stool?

I also request you to have a eye on her social environment. Problems with teacher, care taking maid, school friends etc. can also result in a moody child. See that she is not exposed to some bullying at the school. Try and see if a teacher or a maid with their own problems are not threatening or behaving abnormally with your kid.

Hope this helps.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (5 hours later)

No blood was taken. Her eyes are normal no yellow.

Urine yellow and stool normal sometimes is hard for her to push.

Do not know why she behave the way she does. She is daydreamer.

Answered by Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (39 minutes later)

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Anemia could be a important cause of lack of appetite in children. A Hb percentage will help in identifying anemia.

Some times children do not accept certain food items or may not eat much for a few days. This is acceptable if they are other wise normal and active and playful.

Can you explain in detail about her behavior.

How she behaves in the play school, with others etc.

Is she interactive with others? Does she play with children of the same age?
Does she have repetitive behavior and likes to be in her own world?

Is she developmentally normal? Did she achieve all the developmental mile stones at the appropriate age?

Please reply in detail so that I can help you better.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (37 minutes later)

She has been developing normal. She achieved all milestones at right age. Not sure how she is at school but they say she is interacting more and talks more (she speaks two languages). She has been shy from her earlier childhood and in the group will not say much but at home she is more chatty. At the moment she does not respond to my answers very often i have to repeate myself. This worries me. Loved to sing a lot and she still does but often with her own words. She enjoys her company but also likes being with others. She loves watching kids movies and likes when I read her books or do anything with her.

Her hands snd feet are very cold despite she is kept warm.

Answered by Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Hands and feet being cold despite a child being kept warm is not a very good thing. This occurs in sick children in shock. The peripheries of the body should almost be as warm as the central parts of the body if the room temperature is normal. So I request you to get her examined by your doctor.

Her behavior from your description seems to be normal. Some children will be a bit shy compared to other and should be encouraged to be more interactive.

Is she not answering you from recently or from the beginning. A active child busy playing with some thing may not be answering a parent some times. Is this the basic reason or do you feel that even though she is not busy with any thing she is not responding to you?

Please reply in detail.

Take care.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar