Rectal prolapse in childhood--the role of infections and infestations.
Seventy-eight cases of rectal prolapse in childhood treated during a 3-year period are reviewed retrospectively. A cause of prolapse which could be corrected surgically was found in 9 children (12%). Among the remaining 69, 25 children (36%) were infested with a variety of parasites, 4 (6%) had a specific dysentery, and 6 (9%) had a convincing clinical picture of gastro-enteritis. In 34 patients no precise diagnosis could be made; however, among children without a mechanical or neurological lesion, 90% responded rapidly to anthelmintics and symptomatic treatment.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D012005:Rectal Prolapse / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery