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300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-6000
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Pressroom:
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Press Room
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Monday, Aug. 2, 2004, 12:01 p.m. EDT
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For more information:
Bess Andrews
617-355-6420
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Acute diarrhea causes death of two million children worldwide every year
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CHICAGO -- Acute gastroenteritis is a common illness in children in the United States, resulting in 1.5 million outpatient visits, 200,000 hospitalizations, approximately 300 deaths, as well as costing approximately $1 billion per year. In developing countries, an estimated 2 million children under 5 years old die from acute diarrhea each year. A worldwide campaign by the World Health Organization to treat acute diarrhea with oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is credited with reducing the death toll from 5 million deaths in 1982 to 3 million deaths in 1992 to 2 million in 2003.
In the fall of 2003, a panel of specialists convened by the Centers for Disease Control and including Christopher Duggan, MD, Director, Clinical Nutrition Service at Children's Hospital Boston, updated the 1992 CDC guidelines based on recent developments in the science of gastroenteritis management. The data reported by the expert panel agreed with the recent change by the World Health Organization concerning the composition of oral rehydration solutions, the first such change in 30 years. On August 2, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adopted the guidelines for use in the care of children in the United States.
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The new guidelines incorporate a number of findings, including that zinc supplementation can reduce the incidence and severity of acute diarrhea; the effectiveness of a new oral rehydration solution (ORS) with reduced osmolarity (the proportionally reduced concentrations of sodium and glucose in the solution); and the recognition that the combination of oral rehydration and early nutritional support that has proven effective throughout the world should be incorporated into practice in developed countries. ORT protocols designed for developing countries are now recommended as the standard of care for children in the United States and other industrialized countries, where intravenous therapy has become the first line treatment for acute diarrhea and dehydration. In the U.S., approximately 30 percent of pediatricians shy away from oral rehydration therapy for children with vomiting or moderate dehydration. In addition, continued feeding of children during diarrheal episodes has been difficult to establish as a standard of care. The new CDC report and recommendations, which are hoped to change the way pediatricians in the United States manage acute diarrhea in children, can be found at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5216a1.htm'.
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The AAP's Managing Acute Gastroenteritis Among Children: Oral Rehydration, Maintenance, and Nutritional Therapy states that the American Academy of Pediatrics ''endorses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated recommendations concerning diarrhea management in children. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which includes timely use of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and early nutritional support, has been proven to be safe and effective therapy for almost all cases of acute diarrhea. Recent clinical trials have also documented improved outcomes with an ORS of reduced concentrations of sodium and glucose. Educating physicians and parents about ORT is urged in order to avoid unnecessary clinic visits, hospitalizations and in some cases, death.''
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Children's Hospital Boston is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults for over 100 years. More than 500 scientists, including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, nine members of the Institute of Medicine and nine members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. Founded in 1869 as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's Hospital Boston today is a 300-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. It is also the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about the hospital visit: www.childrenshospital.org
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 57,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognized as the lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people - at home and abroad, providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships. CDC serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
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The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice,
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