Study of clinical, hematological, and biochemical profile of under five hospitalized children with diarrhea from a tertiary care institute in Himachal Pradesh

Background: Diarrhea is still the second leading cause of death in children under 5. These deaths can be easily prevented by early recognition and appropriate intervention. Understanding of symptoms, signs, and complications of acute diarrhea is necessary in preventing these deaths. The main focus of this study was to study clinico-epidemiological and laboratory profile of under 5 hospitalized children with diarrhea. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, of a tertiary care teaching hospital in North-west India from June 2016 to November 2018. Children presenting with acute watery diarrhea, between age of 1 month and 5 years, were enrolled in study. Clinical symptoms/signs along with demographic details and lab investigations of each case were studied. Results: Out of 179 admitted children, majority were males and maximum were in age group of 1–24 months. 136 (75.97%) children were exclusively breastfed till 6 months of age. Fever (88.82%), vomiting (74.30%), and oliguria (82.68%) were most common symptoms observed at admission. Depressed anterior fontanelle (63.12%), dry sunken eyes (80.45%), and/or delayed skin turgor (78.21%) were most common clinical signs observed. 140 (78.21%) children had some dehydration and 11 (6.15%) had severe dehydration. Severe features of bradycardia (2.23%), tachypnea (2.79%), and hypothermia (1.67%) were also noted. Deranged blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were observed in 48 (26.82%) and 15 (8.4%) children. Conclusion: Complications of diarrhea can be prevented by improving prevalent poor knowledge, attitude, and practices among parents regarding feeding and home-based interventions in diarrhea.