Calcium ameliorates diarrhea in immunocompromised children.
Treatment of infectious diarrheas remains a challenge, particularly in immunocompromised patients in whom infections usually persist and resultant diarrhea is often severe and protracted. Children with infectious diarrhea who become dehydrated are normally treated with oral or intravenous rehydration therapy. Although rehydration therapy can replace the loss of fluid, it does not ameliorate diarrhea. Thus, during the last decades, there has been continuous effort to search for ways to safely stop diarrhea. Herein, we report 3 immunocompromised children who developed severe and/or protracted infectious diarrhea. Their diarrheas were successfully "halted" within 1 to 2 days following the administration of calcium.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. sam.cheng@ufl.edu
Sam X
SX
Cheng
Harrison X
HX
Bai
Regino
R
Gonzalez-Peralta
Pramod K
PK
Mistry
Fred S
FS
Gorelick
D000293:Adolescent; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000930:Antidiarrheals; D002136:Calcium, Dietary