Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is a leading cause of illness and death among children in developing countries, where an estimated 1.3 thousand million episodes and 4 million deaths occur each year in under-fives. Worldwide, these children experience an average of 3.3 episodes each year, but in some areas the average exceeds nine episodes each year. Where episodes are frequent, young children may spend more than 15% of their days with diarrhoea (Figure 1.1). About 80% of deaths due to diarrhoea occur in the first two years of life. The main cause of death from acute diarrhoea is dehydration, which results from the loss of fluid and electrolytes in diarrhoeal stools. Other important causes of death are dysentery and undernutrition.

Diarrhoea is an important cause of undernutrition. This is because patients eat less during diarrhoea and their ability to absorb nutrients is reduced; moreover, nutrient requirements are increased as a result of infection. Each episode of diarrhoea contributes to undernutrition; when episodes are prolonged, their impact on growth is increased.