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Query: UMLS:C0740441 (acute diarrhea)
 2,275 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To study the etiology of chronic childhood diarrhea among Nigerian children, 142 patients, aged 6 months to 5 years, with diarrhea for at least 1 month, were evaluated; the study took place during January-December 1983 at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Enteropathogenic agents were identified in stools of 90 (63%) patients. Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica were most commonly detected, representing 41% and 23%, respectively, of all parasitic pathogens. In children with negative stool microscopy, chronic diarrhea was associated with primary lactose intolerance (2 cases), abdominal tuberculosis (2 cases), hyponatremia, low serum albumin, anemia due to sickle cell disease, or Staphylococcus aureus infection. In contrast with chronic diarrhea etiologies reported among children in Europe and North America, infections were the major cause of chronic childhood diarrhea among these children. In general, it is accepted that intestinal infection usually produces acute diarrhea--and that, if the host fails to mount a competent immune response, if there is repeated exposure to infectious agents, or if severe infection damages a substantial proportion of absorptive cells, then severe, protracted diarrhea may result. The high case fatality rate of 9% in this series was associated with specific infectious complications of septicemia, bronchopneumonia, lobar pneumonia and measles. Severe malnutrition also worsened the prognosis in chronic diarrhea. The results indicate that early detection and treatment of amebiasis and giardiasis is a useful approach in the treatment of chronic diarrhea cases among children.
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PMID:Chronic diarrhoea in Nigerian children. 383 11

Chronic diarrhoea of the adult is defined as diarrhea during 30 days or longer. Frequent causes of chronic diarrhea in the immunocompetent adult without recent travel to developing countries are noninfectious processes, including laxatives misuse, diseases causing chronic maldigestion, osmotically active artificial sweeteners (i.e. sorbitol), hormonal disorders or drugs with intestinal side effects. Infectious agents as the cause of chronic diarrhea are important in two populations, namely in travelers returning from tropical countries bearing a significant risk of intestinal parasitic infections and in immunocompromised patients, especially AIDS patients with CD4 cell counts below 50 per microliter. Intestinal parasites and C. difficile, Y. enterocolitica, Shigellae and Cytomegalovirus are the most important causative agents of chronic diarrhea. Intestinal pathogens were identified in 46% of chronic, but only in 16.5% of acute diarrhea episodes of HIV-infected patients. An extensive medical history including recent travel as well as the detailed characteristics of onset of symptoms and of their time course is essential for the diagnosis. All patients should have a complete differential blood count, ESR, determination of electrolytes, liver enzymes, creatinine, blood glucose, and serum albumin. Tests to exclude hyperthyriodism, or pancreatic insufficiency as well as a d-xylose absorption test can be included, if appropriate. Microbiological-parasitological investigations are obligatory in patients with chronic diarrhea returning from countries with increased risk of traveler diarrhea, in cases of suspected immunodeficiency, if sudden onset of symptoms with fever is reported, after antibiotic treatment, and in children below six years of age. As a rule, stool specimens are appropriate, for the detection of cytomegalovirus colonic biopsies are necessary. In the latter case colonosigmoidoscopy has no diagnostic advantage. One single stool specimen is sufficient for the detection of bacteria or toxins, in contrast to parasitological investigations, where only three consecutive specimens provide sufficient diagnostic sensitivity.
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PMID:[Chronic diarrhea: value of microbiology in diagnosis]. 1106 10

Increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depleted antioxidant defences have been implicated in a cycle of infection, malabsorption and malnutrition, leading to persistent diarrhea. In order to determine whether in non-malnourished children oxidative stress predisposes to the development of persistent diarrhea, infants with acute diarrhea (< 7 days) (n = 39) were compared to infants with persistent diarrhea (> 14 days) (n = 38). Lipid peroxidation was assessed by the TBARs assay and expressed as malondialdehyde equivalent content (nmol MDA/ml plasma), and levels of plasma antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E were determined. In infants with acute and persistent diarrhea nutritional status, as assessed by weight/height and height-for-age, hemoglobin levels, serum albumin and immunoglobulin levels, did not differ between groups. Serum vitamin A and vitamin E levels did not differ in infants with acute or persistent diarrhea. TBARs, expressed as nmol MDA/ml plasma did not differ between infants with acute or persistent diarrhea and furthermore did not differ from levels in a healthy, similar age, control group. Non-malnourished infants with persistent diarrhea do not exhibit plasma antioxidant depletion or enhanced lipid peroxidation. In these infants, oxidative stress, as reflected in plasma, does not play a role in the pathogenesis of persistent diarrhea.
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PMID:Oxidative stress is not enhanced in non-malnourished infants with persistent diarrhea. 1169 27

Protein losing enteropathy (PLE), a very rare disease with hypoproteinemia and edema as its characteristics, is caused by various diseases resulting in protein depletion from the gut. The diagnosis is relatively difficult due to its complex pathogeneses. The present paper reported a case whose symptom started with acute diarrhea and hypoproteinemia. Gastrointestinal endoscopies showed digestive ulcers and colon polyp. The treatments contained albumin infusion, Chinese herbal decoction and other symptomatic therapies. The hypoproteinemia become even worse and edema occurred after 4 days' treatment. A larger dose of albumin infusion (40-60 g/d) and modified herbal decoctions were prescribed. A final diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) complicated with PLE was confirmed by histopathological examination of a repeated gastroscopy. After three weeks' treatment, the serum albumin level was raised and the edema subsided gradually. In conclusion, herbs may have an effect on PLE patients, but PLE resulting from EG is very complex and easy to misdiagnose, especially in atypical conditions. Further studies are required to find the exact mechanisms.
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PMID:Protein losing enteropathy caused by eosinophilic gastroenteritis: A case report. 3218 44