Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in an 11-Year Old South American Boy: Medical and Cultural Challenges.

Abstract

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is new in the DSM-5, replacing the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of Feeding Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood. ARFID has no age criterion, and therefore addresses eating disturbances across the lifespan. This report illustrates the case of an 11-year-old boy of Colombian ancestry with ARFID and explores the role of culture in the diagnosis of ARFID. To date, literature describing this disorder is limited. ARFID is often seen in the child and adolescent population and can have significant medical consequences, including weight loss, hemodynamic instability, and growth retardation. Studies examining the potential cultural challenges of diagnosing and treating ARFID would benefit patients, as well as health professionals working in primary care, pediatrics, and psychiatry. This paper is intended to inform the reader about this multifaceted disorder, and to generate interest for future research.