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Acute gastroenteritis in Malaysian children: aetiological and therapeutic considerations

Iyngkaran N 1 , Abidin Z 2 , Lam SK 3 , Puthucheary SD 4

Affiliations 

  • 1 Iyngkanan N, MBBS (Mal), MRCP (UK). Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
  • 2 Zainal Abidin, MBBS (Mal), MRCP (UK). Lecturer, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
  • 3 S.K. Lam, BSc (W. Aust.), MSc (Q'ld), PhD (ANU). Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
  • 4 S. D. Putchucheary, MBBS (Sing), Dip Bact (Lond). Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Med J Malaysia, 1980 Jun;34(4):403-8.
PMID: 7219272

Abstract

In a prospective study of 300 infants with acute gastroenteritis 150 infants had enteropathogens in the stools, 58 being due to rotavirus, 130 to adenovirus, 32 to Sahnonella, 18 Shigella and 29 E. coli. Hypernatraemic dehydration was present in 11% and acquired carbohydrate intolerance in 30% of the infants. Protracted diarrhoea was observed in 8% of infants and was commoner in the bacterial than viral group. The study shows that clinical features and simple blood tests cannot be used as reliable indices of predicting the aetiology of AGE. Despite the diverse aetiology of acute gastroenteritis, rehydration by the oral or intravenous route remained the mainstay of therapy.
Keywords: Kuala Lumpur, university hospital,

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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