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[Diarrheic diseases in children. Rationalization of fecal test]
1Service de Pédiatrie, Centre hospitalier national Souro-Sanou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
Insights
Diarrheal disease is common in Burkina Faso children. Routine stool sample analysis is not beneficial for diagnosis or treatment, costing $100 per child annually.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Microbiology
- Public health in Sub-Saharan Africa
Context:
- High prevalence of diarrheal diseases in children under 37 months in Burkina Faso.
- Limited resources for healthcare and diagnostics in the region.
- Need to identify cost-effective diagnostic methods for pediatric diarrhea.
Purpose:
- To identify the etiologic agents of diarrhea in hospitalized children (0-36 months) in Burkina Faso.
- To evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic utility of stool sample analysis for pediatric diarrhea.
- To assess the cost-effectiveness of etiological investigations for diarrheal diseases.
Summary:
- A study investigated 56% of diarrheal cases and 40% of non-diarrheal cases in hospitalized children, isolating various enteric agents.
- Specific pathogens like Salmonella, Shigella, and Entamoeba were found in both symptomatic and asymptomatic children.
- Routine stool sample examinations were found to be non-beneficial for diagnosis or treatment, despite a high annual cost of $100 per child.
Impact:
- Routine etiological stool sample examinations for diarrhea in children are not recommended in Sub-Saharan Africa due to lack of benefit and high cost.
- Findings suggest a need for alternative diagnostic strategies for pediatric diarrhea in resource-limited settings.
- The study highlights the economic burden of unnecessary diagnostic procedures on healthcare systems in developing countries.
Abstract:
The level of diarrheic diseases among children in Burkina Faso is very high. The identification of aetiologic agents of diarrhoea in hospitalized children (0-36 months) is one of the objectives of the study. All children less than 37 months old admitted to the Pediatric Unit of the National Hospital Souro Sanou of Bobo-Dioulasso between January 1990 and March 1991, were investigated by a standardized clinical examination, and in addition, we do an analysis of a rectal swab at admission and a stool to identify aetiologic enteric agents. As a conclusion to the study: an agent was isolated in 56% of the children with diarrhoea, and in 40% of the children without diarrhoea; some germs (such Salmonella, Shigella, Entamoeba) are found in children both with and without diarrhoea; also, the total of these examinations comes to 20 US $ per episode, or 100 US $ per children/year in Burkina Faso where the number of bouts reaches 5 times per year per infant who is less than 5 years old. Stool samples are not beneficial for children with diarrhoea, neither for the diagnosis nor for the treatment. There fore these types of routine exams should not be used in Sub-Saharan Africa.