Comparative Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Rotavirus Infection in Young Children

Abstract

This article gives a comparative description of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of rotavirus infection in children under 1 year and 1–3 years old. An analysis of 83 case histories of the examined children for rotavirus infection under the age of 3 years was carried out. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 — children under 1-year-old (48 patients), group 2 — children from 1 to 3 years old (35 patients). As a result of the study, it was found that in children of the 1st group, rotavirus infection proceeded predominantly (Р˂0.01) in the form of severe enteritis (71.0%), in combination with bacterial intestinal infection (75.0%), with significant (P ˂0.05) frequent (31.3%) bloating due to profuse watery diarrhea. In children of this group in 4.0% of cases, the disease was fatal. In the vast majority (96.7%) of children of the 2nd group, rotavirus infection proceeded in the form of gastroenteritis, with almost the same ratio of moderate to severe forms (47.0, 50.0%). Due to large losses with repeated vomiting and loose stools, significantly (Р˂0.01) more often (53.3%) there was a decrease in urine output and an increase in creatinine level (40.0%).