Childhood diarrhea

Worldwide, diarrhea remains one of the most common illnesses among children. In the United States, children < 5 years of age experience > 20 million episodes of diarrhea each year, leading to several million doctor visits, 200,000 hospitalizations, and approximately 400 deaths. Much of this morbidity is due to the dehydration associated with acute watery diarrhea. Consequently, the proper management of children with acute diarrhea is important for all practitioners as well as for parents of small children. The development of oral therapy for the rehydration and maintenance of children with dehydrating diarrhea has become the worldwide mainstay of national diarrheal control programs. More recently, proper nutrition for children with diarrhea is viewed as an important adjunct to therapy, whereas antibiotics and other drugs play only a limited role. Intravenous therapy remains essential for diarrheal episodes associated with severe dehydration. This document reviews the proper management of diarrhea among children. Particular attention is given to the use of oral therapy for rehydration and maintenance therapy for the dehydrated child and nutritional management. In the United States, the improved management of children with diarrhea could lead to a noticeable decrease in the number of children who are hospitalized or die as a result of diarrheal illness. This report contains recommendations prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with input from a panel of pediatric and diarrheal management experts, which are consistent with recommendations endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.