Abstract
Abstract:
 Background: Acute infectious enteritis remains one of the commonest causes of death among infants and children in developing countries. Acute enteritis is defined as a loss of stool consistency with pasty or liquid stools, and/or an increase in stool frequency to more than three stools in 24 hours with or without fever or vomiting. Human survival depends on the secretion and reabsorption of fluid and electrolytes in the intestinal tract. The objective of the study is to evaluate the risk factors of diarrhoea in children under age of 5 years.
 Methodology: It was an observational study. Study was completed in about six months. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. In this study, 270 samples were taken from Diarrheal ward of The Children Hospital Lahore, Pakistan.
 Results: In this study, out of 270 patients, 58.52% were males and 41.48% were females. 90.37% patients were vaccinated. 54.81% had weaning history. 91.85% patients had feeding history. 29.26% had blood in stool. 96.67% patients were dehydrated. 95.56% patients had loose watery diarrhoea. 62.96% patients used boiled water. 58.52% patients consumed less than half litre of water, 30.00% patients consumed 1 litre of water and 11.48% patients consumed > 1 litre of water. 49.18% patients had proper hygiene. 38.15% mothers of patients were well educated. 40.37% patients had model household condition. 57.41% patients lived in rural area and 42.59% patients lived in urban area.
 Conclusion: The variation in the level of diarrheal morbidity was well explained by maternal education, income, personal hygiene, refuse disposal system and the effect of health extension programme.
Highlights
IntroductionAcute infectious enteritis (including gastroenteritis) remains one of the commonest causes of death among infants and children in developing countries (1)
Acute infectious enteritis remains one of the commonest causes of death among infants and children in developing countries (1)
Patients consumed 1 litre of water and 11.48% patients consumed > 1 litre of water. 49.18% patients had proper hygiene. 38.15% mothers of patients were well educated. 40.37% patients had model household condition. 57.41% patients lived in rural area and 42.59% patients lived in urban area
Summary
Acute infectious enteritis (including gastroenteritis) remains one of the commonest causes of death among infants and children in developing countries (1). Household sanitation and adequate appropriate feeds are emphasized in different health clinics and well child visits (7). These efforts have been shown to decrease the severity of acute diarrheal episodes and sharply reduce the number of subsequent death (7), a large number of children are still afflicted with diarrhoea that has a negative impact on their growth and development (8). Exclusive breastfeeding in infancy is known to protect against diarrhoea with maternally acquired antibodies helping to fight infective agents responsible for the disease At this stage, there is a general decline in these antibodies and more so in those not exclusively breastfed, and the high risk of developing diarrhoea (8). The objective of the study is to evaluate the risk factors of diarrhoea in children under age of 5 years
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