Comparison of Enteropathogens in Hospitalized Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

• Published in: Journal of academic research in medicine 2021-08, Vol.11 (2), p.211-218
• Main Authors: Arslan, Merve, Mercan Başpınar, Melike, Geylani Güleç, Seda, Basat, Okcan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoviruses; Age; Diarrhea; Fever; Gastroenteritis; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Immunization; Pathogens; Vomiting
• ISSN: 2146-6505; 2147-1894
• DOI: 10.4274/jarem.galenos.2021.73792

Objective: This study aimed to compare enteropathogens in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and evaluate their rotavirus (RV) immunization, length of hospitalization, and clinical severity by Ruuska-Vesikari clinical scoring system. Methods: A retrospective data-based study including 642 hospitalized children with AGE aged between 1 month and 18 years who were admitted to the pediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital from 2014 to 2018. Results: RV vaccination was not reported in any of the patients. Of the 642 patients hospitalized for AGE, cases included 179 RV enteritis (27.9%), 22 adenovirus enteritis (3.4%), 14 Entamoeba histolytica enteritis (2.2%), 11 Giardia enteritis (1.7%), and 413 unidentified pathogens (64%). The Ruuska- Vesikari score was not correlated to the length of hospitalization (p=0.31; r=0.04). RV enteritis was higher in the winter season (26.8%) and in April (16.8%) than at other times. Most common age range of the RV cases (36.9%) were between 12 and 24 months. The clinical severity of children with AGE was classified as a mild, moderate, and severe (14.5%, 35.5%, and 50%), respectively. About 73.2% of RV cases had severe disease (Ruuska-Vesikari score ≥11) and had a higher score than other pathogens (p