BMJ  2007;334:35-40 (6 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39036.406169.80

Clinical Review

Acute gastroenteritis in children

Elizabeth Jane Elliott, professor in paediatrics and child health

1 Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, NSW, Australia

Correspondence to: E Elliott, c/o Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead 2145, NSW, Australia elizabe2@chw.edu.au

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Acute gastroenteritis accounts for millions of deaths each year in young children, mostly in developing communities. In developed countries it is a common reason for presentation to general practice or emergency departments and for admission to hospital. Dehydration, which may be associated with electrolyte disturbance and metabolic acidosis, is the most frequent and dangerous complication. Optimal management with oral or intravenous fluids minimises the risk of dehydration and its adverse outcomes. Routine use of antibiotics, antidiarrhoeal agents, and antiemetics is not recommended and may cause harm. Prevention is the key to controlling gastroenteritis, and recently licensed, highly effective rotavirus vaccines will have a major effect on public health.


I searched the Cochrane Library database using the keywords "acute gastroenteritis" (all text), "acute disease", "gastroenteritis", and "child". I searched Medline via PubMed clinical queries using the keywords "gastroenteritis" together with "oral rehydration", "antidiarrheal", "antiemetic", "probiotic", and "zinc" with the options "find . . . [Full text of this article]



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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Uhlig, U., Pfeil, N., Gelbrich, G., Spranger, C., Syrbe, S., Huegle, B., Teichmann, B., Kapellen, T., Houben, P., Kiess, W., Uhlig, H. H. (2009). Dimenhydrinate in Children With Infectious Gastroenteritis: A Prospective, RCT. Pediatrics 124: e622-e632 [Abstract] [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Government targets prevent ideal care
Justin G Daniels
bmj.com, 9 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Confusing epidemiological background
Hugh van't Hoff
bmj.com, 12 Jan 2007 [Full text]
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