Epidemiological and clinical profiles of acute invasive diarrhoea with special reference to mucoid episodes: a rural community-based longitudinal study

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 90; no. 5; pp. 544 - 547
• Main Authors: Gupta, D.N., Sircar, B.K., Sengupta, P.G., Ghosh, S., Banu, M.K., Mondal, S.K., Saha, D.R., De, S.P., Sikdar, S.N., Manna, B., Dutta, S., Saha, N.C.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.09.1996; Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Elsevier
• Subjects: Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Diarrhea - epidemiology; diarrhoea; Dysentery, Amebic - epidemiology; Dysentery, Bacillary - epidemiology; Entamoeba histolytica; faecal leucocyte count; Feces - microbiology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; India - epidemiology; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Medical sciences; Mucus; Occult Blood; Other diseases. Semiology; prognosis; Prospective Studies; Salmonellaspp; Seasons; Shigella spp; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Tropical medicine; Asia; India; Salmonellaspp; Shigella spp; Entamoeba histolytica; diarrhoea; prognosis; faecal leucocyte count; Human; Protozoa; Salmonella; Lobosea; Prognosis; Diarrhea; Mucoid form; Epidemiology; Incidence; Seasonal variation; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Intestinal disease; Child; Shigella; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1016/S0035-9203(96)90315-6

A study was carried out in 3 villages near Calcutta, India, having a population of 5464, between August 1992 and December 1994. A cohort of rural children below 4 years of age was prospectively observed to determine the clinico-epidemiological aspects of mucoid diarrhoea and examine propensity to invasiveness. Overall, the incidence of diarrhoea was 1·7 episodes/child/year, and that of mucoid and bloody dysentery was 0·8 and 0·2 episodes/child/year, respectively. Children aged 6–11 months had a higher incidence of mucoid diarrhoea (1·3 episodes/child/year) and the peak season occurred in June and July. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression showed that mucoid diarrhoea and bloody dysentery were closely similar in both clinical and laboratory findings, including raised faecal leucocyte count (>10/high power microscope field [hpf]). However, abdominal pain occurred more frequently in bloody dysentery than in mucoid diarrhoea. Faecal leucocyte count (>10/hpf) can therefore be used as an indicator for invasiveness of mucoid diarrhoea at the community level.