Epidemiological study of bloody Diarrhoea among children in Baghdad, Iraq

• Main Authors: Al-Kubaisy, W. (Author), Al-Naggar, R.A (Author), Badre, A.A (Author), Nik Shamsidah, N.I (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2015
• Subjects: Article; bloody diarrhea; bottle feeding; breast feeding; Breast feeding; Causative pathogens; child; Childhood bloody diarrhea; clinical examination; cross-sectional study; Entamoeba histolytica; environmental sanitation; Environmental sanitation; feces analysis; female; human; infant; interview; Iraq; laboratory test; major clinical study; male; mother; nonhuman; preschool child; prevalence; prospective study; public health problem; questionnaire; risk factor; Risk factors; river water; rural area; Salmonella; school child; Shigella; teaching hospital; water supply
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher; View in Scopus

 Introduction: Diarrhoea is a preventable and treatable disease; however it is still a major public health problem particularly in the developing world. Bloody diarrhoea in young children is usually a sign of invasive enteric infection that carries risk of serious morbidity and death. In Iraq, diarrhoea is the second common cause of mortalities among children. Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of bloody diarrhoea among children less than 10 years old, in Baghdad. Material and methods: A hospital based prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in two Paediatric hospitals: AL-Manseur Paediatric Teaching Hospital and The Central Paediatric Teaching Hospital. A total of 1500 children (<10 years) with diarrhoea were included. Mothers were interviewed to obtain the necessary information. A Clinical examination and stool laboratory tests were performed for all children. Results: The prevalence of bloody diarrhoea was 28%. Bloody diarrhoea was significantly higher among children aged 7-9 years, those living in rural areas and on exclusive bottle feeding, with illiterate mother, and where river water is a household source. Gender of child and working mother were not significant. Entamoeba Histolytica was a main causative agent especially amongst children in age group 1-3years. Salmonella and Shigella were common in the age group 4-6 years old. Conclusion: The prevalence of bloody diarrhoea was high. Entamoeba Histolytica was the main causative agent. Poor sanitary condition and low socio-economic status may contribute to bloody diarrhoea among children in Iraq. © Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.