The problem of diarrhea in infants and children

Abstract

Diarrhea is a common problem in pediatric practice and is due to causes ranging from unwise eating in older children leading to trivial brief episodes to those producing severe and potentially fatal gastroenteritis in infants. The common causes of diarrhea in babies and children are discussed. Diagnosis and treatment are not usually difficult, but at times both can be extremely so necessitating the admission of the child to hospital. Two uncommon causes of prolonged diarrhea seen recently; one a case of celiac disease complicated by secondary lactose intolerance, the other a case of primary sucrase-isomaltase deficiency with acquired lactase deficiency are reported in detail.