Letters to the Editor

Abstract

The commentary was not a report on a controlled study but an outline of our management of severe infantile gastroenteritis. We define this as acute diarrheal disease in children less than 1 year of age of such severity that there is clinical evidence of dehydration and intravenous fluids are required to restore hydration to normal. These infants require admission to a hospital and are at least 5% dehydrated. We classify the diarrhea as persistent if it is still present seven days after admission and the infant still requires intravenous fluids to maintain hydration.