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[A 'suppository for vomiting prevention']
M E Poorter1, B H Wolf, H A Woltil
1Martini Ziekenhuis, locatie Van Swieten, afd. Kindergeneeskunde, Groningen.
Insights
Gastroenteritis in children can cause serious side effects when treated with antiemetic drugs like metoclopramide or domperidone. Oral rehydration is the recommended treatment for pediatric gastroenteritis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Gastroenteritis is a common childhood illness often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.
- Antiemetic medications are sometimes prescribed to manage symptoms of vomiting in children.
Observation:
- Three children (aged 2.5 to 9 years) presented with fever and stiff neck.
- These children had received metoclopramide or domperidone suppositories for vomiting and diarrhea.
- Extrapyramidal signs, a potential side effect of these drugs, were observed in the children.
Findings:
- The extrapyramidal signs were successfully reversed with intravenous biperiden.
- The study highlights a link between antiemetic use and adverse neurological events in pediatric gastroenteritis.
- The findings suggest that antiemetics may not be appropriate for treating gastroenteritis in children.
Implications:
- Pediatric gastroenteritis management should prioritize oral rehydration therapy.
- The use of antiemetics such as metoclopramide and domperidone in children with gastroenteritis should be reconsidered.
- Healthcare providers should be aware of the potential for extrapyramidal side effects from antiemetics in pediatric patients.
Abstract:
Three children, a girl aged 9 and two boys aged 2.5 and 6 years, presented with a stiff neck and fever. They had been treated for vomiting and diarrhoea with among other drugs metoclopramide or domperidone suppositories. As a result extrapyramidal signs had developed. These were cut by intravenous injection of biperiden. It is argued that gastroenteritis in children should be treated by oral rehydration only and that there is no place for antiemetics.