The FTT medical abbreviation stands for failure to thrive, a description used when a child is not gaining weight or growing as expected, or when an older adult is steadily losing weight, strength and interest in daily life. Pediatric growth notes, hospital admission records and geriatric assessments are where it appears most.
FTT names a pattern rather than a single cause. It tells the care team to look for the reason, which might be feeding difficulties, an illness, a social stress or several things at once. Some clinicians now prefer the phrases faltering growth or growth faltering for children. Below we explain both uses, sample lines and the checks teams usually make.
At a glance
Stands for
Failure to thriveUsed in
Pediatrics, family medicine, geriatrics, hospital medicineIn children
Weight well below expected or falling across major growth chart linesIn older adults
Weight loss, poor appetite, low activity and decline in functionAlso called
Faltering growth, growth faltering, weight falteringWritten as
FTT, adult FTT, geriatric FTT
FTT medical abbreviation in pediatric notes
For babies and young children, failure to thrive is judged on growth charts. Clinicians become concerned when weight sits below about the 3rd or 5th percentile for age, when weight for length is low, or when a child's weight drops across two or more major percentile lines over time. Height and head size may later slow too if poor weight gain continues.
Causes are often grouped by how they work: not taking in enough calories, not absorbing them, or using more than usual. Examples include feeding problems, reflux, milk protein allergy, celiac disease, heart or lung conditions, and difficulties in the home. Many children have a mix of factors.
Reading a growth note
| Piece | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 9 mo | Nine month old child |
| FTT | Failure to thrive |
| weight fell from 50th to 10th percentile | Weight has crossed two major growth chart lines |
| dietitian consult | A nutrition specialist will review feeding and calories |
Admission note: "Admit for FTT, observed feeds, calorie count x 72 h." The child is staying in hospital so staff can watch feeding and measure exactly how many calories are taken over three days.
Adult and geriatric failure to thrive
In older adults, FTT describes a gradual decline that often combines weight loss, decreased appetite, poor nutrition, inactivity, and sometimes low mood or confusion. It is common on admissions from home or a nursing facility when a person is no longer managing as before. Geriatric teams usually look at four linked areas: physical function, nutrition, mood, and thinking.
Adult FTT is sometimes criticized as vague, because it can hide a specific diagnosis such as an infection, heart failure, cancer, depression, or medicine side effects. Good practice is to treat it as a starting point and search for treatable causes.
What teams typically check
- A detailed feeding or diet history and a review of growth or weight records.
- A physical exam for signs of illness, dehydration or neglect.
- Basic labs such as a CBC, a CMP, thyroid testing with TSH and a urinalysis, chosen to fit the person.
- For older adults, a review of medicines, mood screening and an assessment of ADLs.
Extensive testing without clues from the history is usually low yield, so clinicians target tests to what they find. A dietitian, social worker or therapist may join the team.
Terms you may see next to FTT
Growth and nutrition notes often include short forms such as IUGR for poor growth before birth (see IUGR), BMI for body mass index, and PO intake for what a person eats and drinks by mouth. Geriatric notes may pair FTT with GLF after a fall, or with debility and deconditioning. You can find more condition short forms through the diagnosis abbreviations page.
Making sense of the label as a family member
Parents sometimes hear failure to thrive as blame, and adult children may hear it as a sign that nothing can be done. Neither is what the term means. It is a clinical shorthand that says growth or health is not going as expected and needs a closer look. Asking what the team thinks is driving it, what the plan is, and what to watch for at home can help.
FTT can have many causes, and the right next steps depend on the person. The pediatrician, geriatrician or primary care clinician involved is best placed to explain the plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does FTT mean in medical terms?
FTT means failure to thrive. In children it describes poor weight gain or growth, and in older adults it describes a broad decline in weight, appetite and daily function.
Is failure to thrive a diagnosis?
It is a description of a pattern rather than a specific disease. Clinicians use it to signal that the underlying causes need to be found and addressed.
What percentile is considered failure to thrive?
Weight below about the 3rd or 5th percentile for age, or a drop across two major percentile lines, often raises concern. Clinicians interpret this with the child's full history and growth pattern.
What does adult FTT mean on a hospital chart?
It usually means an older adult admitted with weight loss, weakness and trouble managing at home. The team then looks for specific causes such as infection, medicine effects or depression.