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The usefulness of clinical and laboratory parameters for predicting severity of dehydration in children with acute

Teuta Faik Hoxha1, Mehmedali Azemi1, Muharrem Avdiu1

  • 1Pediatric Clinic, University Clinical Center of Kosova, Prishtina, Kosovo ; Department of Statistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania.

Medical Archives (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
|January 9, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Accurate dehydration assessment in children is crucial. Blood gases effectively diagnose dehydration severity, while urea and creatinine specifically identify severe cases, aiding clinical decisions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Accurate assessment of dehydration in children is vital for appropriate treatment decisions.
  • Clinical assessment of dehydration can be improved with laboratory tests.
  • This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between clinical and laboratory parameters in assessing pediatric dehydration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the relationship between clinical and laboratory parameters in the assessment of dehydration in children.
  • To determine the utility of specific laboratory tests in differentiating degrees of dehydration.
  • To identify clinical factors correlating with dehydration severity.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective evaluation of 200 children aged 1 month to 5 years presenting with diarrhea, vomiting, or both.
  • Dehydration assessment was performed using a standardized clinical scheme.
  • Laboratory parameters including serum urea, creatinine, bicarbonates, and base excess were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Serum urea and creatinine showed high specificity for severe dehydration (99% and 100%, respectively) but could not differentiate mild from moderate dehydration.
  • Serum bicarbonates and base excess decreased significantly with increasing dehydration severity and could distinguish between all dehydration groups (P<0.001).
  • Clinical variables like age, sex, fever, and vomiting frequency did not significantly differ across dehydration groups, though frequent diarrhea trended towards severe dehydration (p=0.004).

Conclusions:

  • Blood gas parameters (serum bicarbonates and base excess) are valuable for diagnosing dehydration severity in children with acute gastroenteritis.
  • Serum urea and creatinine are highly specific for diagnosing severe dehydration.
  • Clinical history, apart from diarrhea frequency, showed limited correlation with dehydration status, suggesting a need for further validation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Acute gastroenteritisdehydration in childrendiarrhea in children

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