I saw a baby today, 7 months, weighing 7.5 lbs today. It is unclear what the birthweight was, though they thought he was 7 lbs. A normal 2 month old with that birth weight should weight abut 11 lbs. He was brought in for conjunctivitis, which he has had almost since birth (no, not for the lack of weight-gain). There were no birth/hospital records. He also cried a lot and was constipated, though he was breastfed.
When I looked at his eyes, he had a white reflex in both eyes (instead of red). This could be a sign of a tumor called retinoblastoma, though it could be something else. Two other volunteers actually asked me to come in because of the weight issue, but when I saw that, I went to get the Dr immediately. We sent him for a CT immediately, and will continue to evaluate and treat, presuming that the family follows up. Certainly an interesting case, and scary. But also sad to see such a malnourished baby at only 2 months!
No comments:
Post a Comment