Diarrhea in children

Pediatrics for Parents, April, 2004

Diarrhea in children six to thirty-six months old is very common. In almost all cases it's not an indicator of any serious illness. To determine just how common diarrhea is in children in this age group, doctors at Boston University followed 604 healthy children living in 34 states for six months.

During the six months, there were 611 episodes of diarrhea. All were tested for bacteria and viruses. In almost 80% of the time, no pathogen was found. A bacteria or virus was more likely to be found if the child has vomiting with their diarrhea. Fever, abdominal pain and blood or mucus in the stool were not predictive of finding a pathogen in the stool.

Diarrhea in young children is very common and rarely associated with any treatable illness. Parents need to watch for signs of dehydration--very dry mouth, tearless crying, deceased urine output, "doughy" skin, and listlessness. If there are concerns over dehydration, then the child needs a medical evaluation.