CHILDHOOD PERSISTENT DIARRHEA: A
NUTRITIONAL DISEASE IN THE TROPICS
Grange A
College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria
Objective: This paper reports on the prevalence of both acute and
persistent diarrhea among children in various communities in the tropics
and compares with recent data obtained for children who were exclusively or
predominantly breastfed in the first four to six months of life.
Methods: In a
prospective study, the disease patterns of predominantly breastfed infants
in both rural and urban communities were documented from birth to the age
of 12 months. Data from previous studies of acute and persistent diarrhea
in children who were on miscellaneous feeding regimes were reviewed and
compared with the results of the current study.
Results: The prevalence of acute and persistent diarrhea among the study
groups were 2% and 0% respectively. These were significantly lower
(p<.01) than the values reported for infants on miscellaneous feeding
regimes.
Conclusion: It is concluded that a major factor in the genesis of persistent
diarrhea that is not of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) origin
is the pattern of feeding in early infancy. A major focus on this area
could lead to the disappearance of non-AIDS-related prolonged diarrhea, which
has been recorded as a significant factor in the development of
malnutrition in the tropics.