title: Gastroenteritis in a Taipei emergency department: aetiology and risk factors.
abstract: A matched case-control study was used to determine pathogens and risk factors associated with gastroenteritis in a Taipei Emergency Department. Viruses (40.0%) were the leading cause of gastroenteritis, with noroviruses the most prevalent (33.2%). Bacteria were found in 26.0% of all cases, mostly suspected diarrheagenic E. coli (22.2%), followed by Salmonella spp. (5.4%) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (4.2%). Giardia lamblia was identified in 16.4% of all cases. Statistical significance was noted for seven risk factors: taking antacids before gastroenteritis (OR = 3.91; 95% CI, 2.13, 7.15), other household members with gastroenteritis (OR = 5.18; 95% CI, 2.09, 12.85), attending a banquet (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.25, 2.98), eating out (OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.30, 4.23), drinking bottled water (OR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.07, 2.75), eating honey peaches (OR = 3.26; 95% CI, 1.24, 8.58), and eating raw oysters (OR = 3.24; 95% CI, 1.02, 10.28). Eating out was identified as the highest risk behavior, as measured by population attributable risk fraction (PAR) (50.9%). Respective PAR values for drinking bottled water, attending a banquet and taking antacids before illness were 19.7%, 19.6% and 17.6%. Of these, additional research on bottled water appears to be the highest priority, because this is the first time it has been identified as a risk factor for gastroenteritis.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Taipei City Hospital, Ren-Ai Branch, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: C-C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: F-T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: D-D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: J-J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: J-R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: K-T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: W-Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y-P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: W-T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B-C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D D-S
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: M-Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: H-S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055815:Young Adult