title: Descriptive study on acute gastroenteritis in 3,883 patients admitted in "sf. Maria" children hospital from Iaşi, Romania, between 2008 and 2013.
abstract: The aim of study was to assess some population characteristics in children of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) admitted in a regional pediatric hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the present transversal descriptive study we considered a group of subjects hospitalized for AGE in 2008-2013 (2013--only 6 months) in "Sf. Maria" Emergency Hospital for Children Iasi, Romania. Consultations in the Emergency Unit of this hospital did not take into consideration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Number of AGE cases admitted to "St. Maria" Emergency Hospital for Children Iasi between 2008 and 2013 has seen a steady decline. Male subjects are better represented (54.1%); largest age group 1-4 years, with 1,827 cases, immediately followed by group 0-1 year (1789 cases); together, the two-age groups account for 93.1% of admissions for AGE. Distribution of cases by seasons showed balanced values, with higher percentages in summer (29.7%) and spring (25.5%). The number of cases is relatively constant and lower in winter, affecting predominantly younger groups (0-5 years) compared to the summer when cases aged 5 to 14 years were admitted more frequent. Most cases presented at admission vomiting (41.2%) and fever (40.7%); the presence of bacterial flora was identified in 82.2% of stool specimens, and blood in 13.4% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher number of education measures should be implemented in urban and rural areas in order todecrease the contamination with pathogenic agents involved in infectious acute gas- troenteritis in children.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy Grigore T. Popa - Iaşi, Department of Preventive Medicine and Interdisciplinarity.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mihai
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manole
authors.forename: Cristina Gena
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Dascălu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manole
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Petrariu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moraru
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012621:Seasons; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology