Association between diarrhea-related complications and severity of dehydration in children aged 2–59 months at a tertiary care hospital.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between the severity of dehydration and the complications associated with diarrhea in children aged 2–59 months. To evaluate the range of complications observed in pediatric patients with diarrhea admitted to a tertiary care hospital, focusing on different dehydration levels. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Medicine, Children's Hospital and University of Child Health Sciences (UCHS), Lahore. Period: June 2023 to December 2023. Methods: Inclusion criteria consisted of previously healthy children aged between 2 -59 months of either gender, exhibiting symptoms of acute watery diarrhea, including loose motions and vomiting. Patients diagnosed with chronic diarrhea, immunodeficiency, neuromuscular impairment, or congenital heart disease were excluded. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used and a total of 120 pediatric patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Following parental consent, data was collected using a pre-designed form, and all eligible patients received treatment. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: The majority (58.3%) were aged between 2 to 6 months. Complications associated with diarrhea included hypokalemia (35%), acute kidney injury (10%), and metabolic acidosis (55%). Severe dehydration was observed in 39.2% of patients. Conclusion: Metabolic acidosis was the most common complication, present in 55% of cases. A significant correlation was found between the severity of dehydration and the occurrence of metabolic acidosis.