Epidemiological and clinical study of diarrhea by rotavirus in children <5 years of age attended in medical centers of the Miranda State, Venezuela
González, R.; Salas-Maronsky, H.; Balebona, E.; Martinez, Jé.Ramón.; Serrano, N.; Pérez-Schael, I.
Investigacion clinica 49(4): 499-510
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0535-5133 PMID: 19245168 Document Number: 628092
To have a better knowledge of the epidemiological and clinical aspects of rotavirus (RV) infection treated at out-patient clinics, we carried out a study in five centers (one hospital type I, and four out-patient clinics) of Miranda state, between february 2006 and january 2007. We evaluated 194 children <5 years old with acute diarrhea and analyzed the following characteristics: gender, age, socioeconomic condition, breastfeeding, nutritional status, clinical characteristics, rotavirus diagnosis and typing by Enzyme Linked immuno Sorbent Asssay (EISA) and G typing by RT-PCR, respectively. The population presented the following characteristics: 53% males; mean age, 17.6 +/- 14.05 months; 68% belonged to worker and marginal class (Graffar 4 and 5); 59% were breast-fed during their first year of life; 13% were malnourished; 40% were dehydrated and 19% were infected with RV. RV infection was significantly and more frequently associated with vomiting (94%, P<0.0001) and malnourishment (30%, P=0.0010) than the episodes negative for rotavirus. In dehydrated cases, significantly greater malnourishment (21%, P=0.0232) and RV (28%, P=0.0407). We found significant differences between the hospital and out-patient clinics, in terms of Graffar 4 and 5 (90% vs .53%, P<0.0001), malnourished (23% vs. 6%, P=0.006), dehydration (63% vs 24%, P<0.0001) and RV (27% vs. 13%, P=0.027). Fourteen samples RV positive were genotyped and the G types were 29% G1, 21% G3 and 14% G4 types. This study suggests that RV cause severe diarrhea associated to malnutrition and poverty and significantly affect the population older than one year of age in the region studied.