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Deaths due to dysentery, acute and persistent diarrhoea among Brazilian infants
Author(s) -
Victora Cesar G,
Huttly Sharon R,
Fuchs Sandra C,
Nobre Leticia C,
Barros Fernando C
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1992.tb12364.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dysentery , pediatrics , diarrhea , population , acute gastroenteritis , breast feeding , environmental health , pathology
In a population‐based study, all infant deaths occurring in a one‐year period in the metropolitan areas of Porto Alegre and Pelotas, in southern Brazil, were studied. There were 227 infants who presented diarrhoea during the fatal illness, and in 75% of these diarrhoea was considered to be the underlying cause of death. Acute diarrhoea (< 14 days’duration) accounted for 28% of the deaths, persistent diarrhoea for 62% and dysentery for a further 10%. Approximately one‐half of the children with persistent diarrhoea were admitted to a hospital in the first two weeks of the episode. Hospital‐acquired infections were likely to have contributed to one‐ to two‐thirds of deaths due to dysentery and persistent diarrhoea. A comparison with neighbourhood controls showed that breast milk provided substantial protection against deaths due to either acute or persistent diarrhoea.