GE (gastroenteritis)
Last edited 04/2018
Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract (1).
It is a common childhood condition which has an acute onset and presents with diarrhoea, with or without abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting (1,2).
Around 3 to 5 billion children around the world are affected by gastroenteritis each year
- it accounts for 1.5 to 2.5 million deaths per year or 12% of all deaths among children less than 5 years of age
- children in developing countries are particular at risk of both morbidity and mortality
- in the US, acute gastroenteritis is responsible for approximately 300 deaths, greater than 1.5 million outpatient visits, and 200,000 hospitalizations annually.
The aetiology of acute gastroenteritis is usually an infection
- viruses are responsible for approximately 70% of the episodes of acute gastroenteritis in children
- bacterial infection accounts for 10% to 20% of all the acute gastroenteritis
- protozoal infection are also seen in less than 5% of the patients (1)
Incidence of different pathogens may vary with season and climate e.g. – Rotavirus disease is mainly seen during winter season (2)
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