Evaluation of simple laboratory investigations to predict fatal outcome in infants with severe malnutrition presenting in an urban diarrhoea treatment centre in Bangladesh.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate rapid and simple laboratory investigations to predict fatal outcome in infants presenting with diarrhoea and severe malnutrition.


METHODS
Retrospective chart analysis of infants with severe malnutrition and diarrhoea with (cases) and without fatal outcome (controls) admitted to the Special Care Ward in Dhaka Hospital at ICDDR,B between May 2005 and April 2006. All infants (n=61) who underwent bedside blood glucose, full peripheral blood count, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum electrolyte tests were included.


RESULTS
In logistic regression analyses, after adjusting for all available potential confounders (abnormal WBC count, higher CRP level, hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, hypocalcaemia, and hypomagnesaemia), cases (n=10) were significantly associated only with hypoglycaemia (measured using a portable bedside finger blood glucose test) (odds ratio 5.0, CI 1.1-23.0, P=0.039) on admission.


CONCLUSIONS
A simple rapid bedside glucose test may be used to predict the outcome of diarrhoeal infants presenting with severe malnutrition.
Chisti
Mohammod J
MJ
Clinical Sciences Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. chisti@icddrb.org
Ahmed
Tahmeed
T
Bardhan
Prodip K
PK
Salam
Mohammed A
MA
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D002097:C-Reactive Protein