Biomaterial Database

Persistent diarrhoea: management in algorithmic approach using a low-cost rice-based diet in severely malnourished Bangladeshi children. 1993

M S Akbar, and S K Roy, and N Banu

Department of Paediatrics, Bangladesh Institute of Child Health, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Easy and successful dietary management of persistent diarrhoea has been a long desired goal. Finding an efficient diet which is economically feasible, and easy to prepare in poor homes of developing countries, has not been easy. A dietary algorithm was followed to test the clinical efficacy of an inexpensive and easy to prepare diet made up with rice powder, egg white, glucose, and soya oil. We studied a cohort of 100 severely malnourished children aged between 3 and 36 months with persistent diarrhoea in Dhaka Shisu (children's) Hospital, Bangladesh, during 1990. Initially on a milk-based diet, 26 children (26 per cent) improved while on a subsequent rice-based diet; 65 (88 per cent) of the remaining 74 children improved within a week, with a mean recovery period of 4 days. Patients who did not improve with the rice-based diet were weaned earlier than those who improved. Nine patients failed to improve on the rice-based diet. They were given a soya formula, and only two improved. The remaining seven patients finally improved when a comminuted chicken diet was given. Eight patients died in the hospital with secondary infections of septicaemia and bronchopneumonia. This study offers a simple and effective algorithm on the management of persistent diarrhoea and also demonstrates the success of a rice-based diet, showing promising and feasible means of management of persistent diarrhoea in patients with severe malnutrition.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007227	Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena	Nutritional physiology of children from birth to 2 years of age.	Infant Nutrition Physiology,Nutrition Physiology, Infant,Complementary Feeding,Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomenon,Infant Nutritional Physiology,Supplementary Feeding,Complementary Feedings,Feeding, Complementary,Feeding, Supplementary,Feedings, Complementary,Feedings, Supplementary,Nutritional Physiology, Infant,Physiology, Infant Nutrition,Physiology, Infant Nutritional,Supplementary Feedings
D008297	Male		Males
D009748	Nutrition Disorders	Disorders caused by nutritional imbalance, either overnutrition or undernutrition.	Nutritional Disorders,Nutrition Disorder,Nutritional Disorder
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D003681	Dehydration	The condition that results from excessive loss of water from a living organism.	Water Stress,Stress, Water
D003968	Diarrhea, Infantile	DIARRHEA occurring in infants from newborn to 24-months old.	Infantile Diarrhea,Diarrheas, Infantile,Infantile Diarrheas
D004035	Diet Therapy	Adjusting the quantity and quality of food intake to improve health status of an individual. This term does not include the methods of food intake (NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT).	Diet Therapy, Restrictive,Dietary Modification,Dietary Restriction,Restriction Diet Therapies,Restriction Diet Therapy,Restrictive Diet Therapies,Restrictive Diet Therapy,Diet Modification,Therapy, Diet,Diet Modifications,Diet Therapies,Diet Therapies, Restriction,Diet Therapy, Restriction,Dietary Modifications,Dietary Restrictions,Modification, Diet,Modification, Dietary,Restriction, Dietary,Therapy, Restriction Diet,Therapy, Restrictive Diet
D005260	Female		Females