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Published on: September 10, 2021
Gastroenteritis in children
Jacqueline R Dalby-Payne1, Elizabeth J Elliott
1The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
Insights
This systematic review evaluates interventions for preventing and treating acute gastroenteritis in children. Key findings cover rotavirus vaccines, rehydration solutions, and anti-vomiting medications, offering insights into effective management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Acute gastroenteritis is a common gastrointestinal infection, primarily viral, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration.
- Management focuses on fluid replacement to prevent or treat dehydration, regardless of the causative agent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effects of interventions for preventing acute gastroenteritis in children.
- To systematically review the effects of treatments for acute gastroenteritis in children.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of 20 studies, including systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and observational studies.
- Searches conducted across major databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library) up to August 2007.
- Inclusion of harms alerts from regulatory agencies (FDA, MHRA).
Main Results:
- Identified 20 relevant studies meeting inclusion criteria.
- Evaluated the quality of evidence for interventions using the GRADE system.
- Synthesized information on the effectiveness and safety of various interventions.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus vaccines are effective for preventing gastroenteritis.
- Enteral rehydration solutions and lactose-free feeds are recommended for treatment.
- Ondansetron shows effectiveness in treating vomiting associated with gastroenteritis.
Introduction:
Acute gastroenteritis results from infection of the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly with a virus. It is characterised by rapid onset of diarrhoea with or without vomiting, nausea, fever, and abdominal pain. Diarrhoea is defined as the frequent passage of unformed, liquid stools. Regardless of the cause, the mainstay of management of acute gastroenteritis is provision of adequate fluids to prevent and treat dehydration.
Methods And Outcomes:
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of interventions to prevent acute gastroenteritis in children? What are the effects of treatments for acute gastroenteritis in children? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to August 2007 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Results:
We found 20 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
Conclusions:
In this systematic review, we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of: rotavirus vaccines for the prevention of gastroenteritis; enteral rehydration solutions (oral or gastric), lactose-free feeds, and loperamide for the treatment of gastroenteritis; and ondansetron for the treatment of vomiting.
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