Hello Doctor - My Nephew Is 4 Years And 10

Posted on Mon, 31 Dec 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : hello doctor - my nephew is 4 years and 10 months old. he is healthy, eats well and is very active. however we feel he is extremely underweight - he is 99cm long and 10.7kg in weight. i have attached a normal picture of him as a reference. could you take a look and advise? let me know if i need to also consult a dietitian. thanks a lot for your help.

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (9 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yes dietician consult is needed

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

His weight should be around 18 kg at this age. More than 14 kg is normal for him.

I will recommend the following:
- High calorie foods that include more of milk and milk products like butter ghee, cheese etc. Include cakes, pastries, icecreams, sweets in his diet. around 5 meals are needed for him. Drink cleaner water with low TDS. Avoid juices, cokes, etc.
- One dose of Tab Albendazole for de-worming
- Basic blood tests to rule out nutritional deficiencies. Blood test can include complete blood count, liver function test, kidney function test, blood calcium, iron, B12 and vitamin D levels, serum electrolytes, fasting blood sugar levels. Urinalysis.
- Yes, dietician consult is needed.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee

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