Pediatrics in Review
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Rapid Responses: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Northrup, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Flanigan, T. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Northrup, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Flanigan, T. P.

Gastroenteritis

Robert S. Northrup MD1
Timothy P. Flanigan MD2
 1 Professor of Community Health, International Health Institute
2 Assistant Professor of Medicine, International Health Institute, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI.

Diarrheal disease is so common and so often short-lived and apparently benign that neither physicians nor parents may give it the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, this lack of concern plays an important role in the high mortality rate from diarrhea among children in developing countries. It also contributes to the high numbers and costs of hospitalizations for diarrhea in the United States.

This review focuses on acute infectious diarrhea and on persistent diarrhea. These two conditions begin similarly, but persistent diarrhea by definition persists for longer than 14 days. It emphasizes appropriate management, particularly oral rehydration therapy (ORT) and current recommendations regarding feeding during diarrhea, and addresses new information about pathogens that cause both acute and persistent diarrhea. Although ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease, and other causes of chronic diarrhea must be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute or persistent diarrhea, a thorough discussion of chronic diarrhea is beyond the scope of this article. Information from developing countries as well as from the US and other developed countries is included.

Epidemiology

Gastroenteritis, both acute and persistent, may occur as often as 15 times per year in a child, although rates of 3 to 5 episodes annually are seen more commonly in most developing countries.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Pediatr. Rev.Home page
M. D. Spitzer
Viral Causes of Diarrhea
Pediatr. Rev., July 1, 2002; 23(7): 257 - 258.
[Full Text]


HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pediatrics Pediatrics in Review
Copyright © 1994 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.