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Diarrhea (peds)
From WikEM
Contents
Background
Clinical Features
Differential Diagnosis
Infection
- Viral
- Rotavirus
- Norwalk virus
- Enteroviruses
- Adenoviruses
- Bacterial
- Parasitic
Dietary disturbances
- Overfeeding
- Food allergy
- Starvation stools
Anatomic abnormalities
- Intussusception
- Hirschsprung disease
- Partial obstruction
- Appendicitis
- Blind loop syndrome
- Intestinal lymphangiectasia
- Short bowel syndrome
Malabsorption or secretory diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Celiac disease
- Disaccharidase deficiency
- Secretory neoplasms
Systemic diseases
- Immunodeficiency
- Endocrinopathy
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypoparathyroidism
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Miscellaneous
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- Secondary lactase deficiency
- Irritable colon syndrome
- Neonatal drug withdrawal
- Toxins
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome
Evaluation
Treatment
General Treatment
- If bloody diarrhea, use caution with beginning antibioitics in ED before stool culture results
- Some studies demonstrate antibiotic treatment in setting of E.coli O157:H7 leads to increasing risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
Diarrheal Pathogens in Children and Specific Therapy
| AGENT | SPECIFIC THERAPY BEYOND SUPPORTIVE CARE |
|---|---|
| Campylobacter jejuni | Azithromycin 12mg/kg/day PO for 5 days or |
| Erythromycin 30–50mg/kg/day, divided, tid PO for 5–7 days | |
| Clostridium difficile | Metronidazole 30mg/kg/day, divided, qid PO for 7–10 days or |
| Escherichia coli | Azithromycin 12mg/kg/day PO for 5 days or |
| Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 10mg (TMP)/kg/day PO divided bid for 5–7 days | |
| Giardia lamblia | Metronidazole 15mg/kg/day PO, divided, tid for 5 days |
| Salmonella species | In toxic infants <3 mo: Ampicillin 200mg/kg/24 hours q6h for 7–10 days and Gentamicin 5–7.5mg/kg/24 hours q8h IV |
| Shigella species | Azithromycin 12mg/kg/day PO for 5 days or |
| Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 10mg (TMP)/kg/day, divided, bid for 5–7 days if susceptible | |
| Yersinia enterocolitica | If patient is immunosuppressed, treat as for presumed sepsis |
| Vibrio cholera | None; severe diarrhea or cholera may benefit from antibiotics |
See Also
References
Authors
Jordan Swartz, Ross Donaldson, Tiffany Joe, Neil Young, Claire, Daniel Ostermayer
