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Hospitalization of childhood rotavirus infection from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Author(s) -
Lee WS,
Veerasingam PD,
Goh AYT,
Chua KB
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1754.2003.00206.x
Subject(s) - medicine , rotavirus , kuala lumpur , pediatrics , diarrhea , acute gastroenteritis , incidence (geometry) , rotavirus gastroenteritis , epidemiology , rotavirus vaccine , vomiting , population , rotavirus infections , environmental health , physics , marketing , optics , business
Aim: To determine the epidemiology of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children admitted to an urban hospital in a developing country from South‐East Asia. Methods: Retrospective review of cases of acute gastroenteritis admitted to the children's ward of the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between 1996 and 1999. Results: During the study period, 333 cases (24%) of 1362 stool samples, obtained from children admitted with acute diarrhoea, were positive for rotavirus. Acute gastroenteritis constituted 8.2%, and rotavirus infection 1.6% of all the paediatric admissions each year. Of the 271 cases analysed, 72% of the affected population were less than 2 years of age. Peak incidence of admissions was between January to March, and September to October. Dehydration was common (92%) but electrolyte disturbances, lactose intolerance (5.2%), prolonged diarrhoea (2.6%) and cow's milk protein intolerance was uncommon. No deaths were recorded. Conclusions: Rotavirus infection was a common cause of childhood diarrhoea that required hospital admission in an urban setting in Malaysia.