title: Clinical aspects of acute vs persistent diarrhea in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
abstract: A retrospective clinical study of acute and persistent diarrhea in children younger than three years of age was conducted for 12 months (October 1989 to September 1990) in a Pediatric Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam. Most of the 3833 episodes of diarrhea identified were of short duration, with 77.7% lasting only 1-7 days. Only 5.3% of episodes lasted more than 14 days. Episodes of longer duration were associated with young age (0-5 months). Bloody stool was present in more than 40% of persistent episodes. Severe malnutrition was associated with persistent episodes that lasted 14-21 days (33%) or more than 22 days (59%). It is important that all patients with diarrhea have appropriate dietary management in addition to fluid therapy, and that future analysis examines etiologic factors to determine the optimal treatment of bloody diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Diarrheal Training Unit, Pediatric Hospital No. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Thanh
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Dung
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Le
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014744:Vietnam