Link with hypernatraemic dehydration in gastroenteritis

Each year many small children fall ill with viral gastroenteritis, most often caused by rotavirus. Hypernatraemic dehydration (serum sodium ≥150 mmol/l) may ensue, which can cause hypovolaemic shock, seizures, and death. Oral or enteral fluid rehydration, or both, with a balanced sodium-glucose oral rehydration solution is recommended firstline treatment of gastroenteritis at home and in hospital.1 2

In January 2010 we observed that several initially normonatraemic infants developed increased stool losses and hypernatraemic dehydration during ongoing enteral (nasogastric …