title: Deaths due to dysentery, acute and persistent diarrhoea among Brazilian infants.
abstract: In a population-based study, all infant deaths occurring in a one-year period in the metropolitan areas of Porto Alegre and Pelotas, in southern Brazil, were studied. There were 227 infants who presented diarrhoea during the fatal illness, and in 75% of these diarrhoea was considered to be the underlying cause of death. Acute diarrhoea (< 14 days' duration) accounted for 28% of the deaths, persistent diarrhoea for 62% and dysentery for a further 10%. Approximately one-half of the children with persistent diarrhoea were admitted to a hospital in the first two weeks of the episode. Hospital-acquired infections were likely to have contributed to one- to two-thirds of deaths due to dysentery and persistent diarrhoea. A comparison with neighbourhood controls showed that breast milk provided substantial protection against deaths due to either acute or persistent diarrhoea.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Social, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Victora
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Huttly
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Nobre
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barros
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000150:complications; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D004403:Dysentery / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health