| dc.description.abstract | Background: Dehydration is the most frequent and dangerous complication of acute gastroenteritis which accounts for millions of deaths each year in young children, mostly in developing countries. There remains much to be learned about the factors that place a child at a particular risk of dying of diarrhoea due to dehydration or the differences between the majority of mild and self-limited episodes and those that may lead to death. Identification of these risk factors would help in predicting the children with acute gastroenteritis who are more likely to develop severe dehydrationlhypovolaemic shock and therefore likely to die.
Objective: To determine the risk factors for severe dehydration and hypovolaemic shock in children aged 2-36 months presenting to Kenyatta National Hospital with acute gastroenteritis.
Methods: The study applied a cross-sectional comparative design. A total of 214 children aged 2-36 months with acute gastroenteritis during the study period was identified and a questionnaire administered to their guardians with regard to the clinical profile, socio-dcmographic factors and the guardian's practices during the diarrhoeal episode. Seventy-six (76) had severe dehydration! hypovolaemic shock while one hundred and thirty eight(l38) had no or some dehydration.
Study Outcome: Multivariate analysis by logistic regression was done to determine which factors arc risks for severe dehydration/ hypovolaemic shock in children with acute gastroenteritis.
Findings: The socio-demographic risk factor for severe dehydration and hypovolaemic shock in children presenting to KNH with acute gastroenteritis is living in a mud floor house. The clinical risk factors are longer duration of diarrhoea, vomiting everything and presence of co-morbidity. Similarly, stoppage of (breast)feeding by the guardian during the course of the illness is a risk factor. The provision of ORS and Zinc reduce the risk of severe dehydration and hypovolaemic shock in the same population, | en_US |
