DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i12.015

Pages: 4853-4857

To estimate the prevalence of rotaviral and non rotaviral diarrhea in children aged 30 days – 60 months hospitalised with acute watery diarrhea in a tertiary care hospital in Shillong, Meghalaya. And to compare the two groups based on their background epidemiological data, clinical features and laboratory parameters. 64 bedded Pediatrics ward in Nazareth Hospital, Shillong. In this analytical cross sectional study carried out over 1 year, all children aged 30 days to 60 months hospitalised with acute watery diarrhea were subjected to Rapid Diagnostic Test for Rotavirus antigen in stool sample and the two groups (rotavirus positive and negative) compared on various background characteristics, clinical features and laboratory parameters using tools for statistical significance. Out of 170 total cases of acute watery diarrhea aged 30 days to 60 months which were admitted over a period of one year at Nazareth Hospital, Shillong, 100 (58.8 %) were positive for rotavirus. Mean age of presentation was 18.4 months in Rotavirus positive group and 17.7 months in Rotavirus negative group (p = 0.009). Mean duration of fever was 1.2 days in positive group and 1.8 days in negative group (p = 0.041, Z Score 2.04). Mean duration of loose stools 2.02 days (SD 1.34) in positive group and 1.91 days (SD1.71) in negative group (Z score 3.39, p = 0.0006). Duration of hospital stay 2.76 days in positive group and 2.24 days in negative group (p = 0.0004, 95% CI 0.22, 0.81). Mean potassium levels in positive group was 4.38 Mmol/l (SD 0.64) and in negative group 4.81 Mmol/l (SD 0.72) (<0.05). Study highlights that Rotavirus positive patients were older in age, were admitted in hospital for a longer duration, had shorter duration of fever but longer duration of loose stools and vomiting, were more likely to be from lower economic classes, had less degree of dehydration and lower potassium levels as compared to rotavirus negative patients, this being the first of its kind of study in the stat