An update on management of severe acute infectious gastroenteritis in children

Abstract

This article focuses on clinical and diagnostic aspects relevant to severe acute infectious gastroenteritis in children and will update treatment strategies focused on, although not limited to, anti-infective therapy. For the purposes of this article we will consider severe acute infectious gastroenteritis as follows: watery diarrhea accompanied by, or at high risk for, moderate to severe dehydration due to abrupt onset of vomiting that reduces oral intake, and/or frequent emission of liquid stools, or moderate to severe dysenteric/bloody diarrhea with moderate to high-grade fever. The article will not include food poisoning associated with bacterial toxins and will only briefly discuss oral rehydration strategies and intravenous solutions. The article will also briefly discuss current preventive measures against rotavirus gastroenteritis through vaccination, a topic that has been extensively discussed elsewhere.

Keywords::

• dehydration
• gastroenteritis
• gastroenteritis treatment
• rotavirus infection
• severe diarrhea

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Miguel O’Ryan was the principal investigator for the Multicenter Human Rotavirus Vaccine Trial sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and is chairman of the TAG group supervising a second vaccine effectiveness study of RotaTeq™ currently ongoing in Nicaragua. Miguel O’Ryan has received consulting and lecture fees from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.