[Infectious acute gastroenteritis in the emergency department of an urban hospital].
OBJECTIVE
To examine the etiology, clinical, analytical and evolutionary characteristics of gastroenteritis in the pediatric population in the Emergency Department of Dr. Peset University Hospital in Health Care Area 10 in Valencia, Spain, over a 1-year period (2005).


METHODS
Children < 15 years of age with acute diarrhea were prospectively enrolled in the Emergency Department. Data were collected through information sheets. Their stools were examined for diarrheagenic bacteria and viruses (rotavirus and adenovirus).


RESULTS
794 episodes of gastroenteritis were recorded. The incidence of rotavirus was 22 %, adenovirus 8 %, Campylobacter jejuni 7 % and Salmonella spp. 4 %. Socioeconomic characteristics were not helpful in differentiating disease due to specific enteropathogens. Ninety per cent cases caused by viruses only affected children under three years of age. Rotavirus gastroenteritis had a marked seasonal pattern (90 % cases in December-February). Among infants < or = 6 months of age rotavirus was less frequent as cause of diarrhea in breast-fed infants than in bottle-fed. Macroscopic blood in stools was reported almost exclusively among patients with a bacterial infection. In 96 % of all cases of diarrhea there was no dehydration, in 2 % it was mild, in 2 % moderate and none severe. Ten of the seventeen cases (59 %) of moderate dehydration were caused by rotavirus. Six percent of all children were hospitalised.


CONCLUSIONS
Rotavirus was significantly more associated with the need for intravenous fluid therapy and hospitalisation than episodes negative for rotavirus. Rotavirus accounted for 3 % of hospitalisations in infants aged 1 month-2 years.
Muñoz Vicente
E
E
Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, España.
Bretón Martínez
J R
JR
Ros Díez
A
A
Rodríguez García
A
A
Casado Sánchez
B
B
Hernández Marco
R
R
Nogueira Coito
J M
JM
D000208:Acute Disease; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000821:virology; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000150:complications*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology