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[Hospitalization for acute community-acquired rotavirus gastroenteritis: a 4-year survey]
1Service d'accueil des urgences, hôpital Cochin-Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, 82, avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75674 Paris, France.
Insights
Rotavirus acute gastroenteritis frequently hospitalized young children in Paris, accounting for over half of cases. This study highlights the need to investigate risk factors and rotavirus strains in French pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Virology
Context:
- Community-acquired acute gastroenteritis is a common cause of pediatric hospitalization.
- Rotavirus is a leading viral pathogen responsible for gastroenteritis globally.
- Limited data exists on rotavirus epidemiology in French pediatric populations.
Purpose:
- To determine the incidence of hospitalizations for community-acquired rotavirus acute gastroenteritis.
- To characterize the demographic profile of hospitalized children with rotavirus gastroenteritis.
- To compare findings with other European studies.
Summary:
- A four-year survey (1997-2000) in a Paris pediatric unit identified 725 hospitalizations for acute gastroenteritis.
- Rotavirus was the causative agent in 50.89% of cases (359 patients), significantly higher than Salmonella (8.6%).
- Hospitalized infants and children with rotavirus gastroenteritis were notably younger than those in other European studies.
Impact:
- This study provides the first systematic, multi-year data on hospitalized gastroenteritis in France.
- Findings indicate rotavirus is the primary cause of community-acquired gastroenteritis in the studied Parisian area.
- The younger age of affected children warrants further investigation into risk factors and specific rotavirus strains in France.
Objective:
To evaluate the number of hospitalizations due to community-acquired rotavirus acute gastroenteritis in a general pediatric unit during a four-year survey.
Results:
From January 1997 to December 2000, 725 patients were admitted for acute gastro-enteritis to the general paediatric unit of a Parisian children hospital (nosocomial diarrhoea excluded) and 706 (97.5%) of these patients had had a stool microbiologic examination. Diarrhoea was caused by rotavirus in 359 patients (50.89%) and Salmonella sp in 61 (8.6%). Children and infants hospitalized for rotavirus acute gastroenteritis were younger (26% had three months or less, and 50.03% had six months or less) than in other European studies.
Conclusion:
This study is the first in France reporting a systematic survey of hospitalized gastroenteritis during four years. More than half of hospitalized community-acquired gastroenteritis were due to rotavirus in this Parisian area. The young age of patients should be investigated in other French areas, searching for risk factors and rotavirus strains.