Renal Involvement in Acute Gastroenteritis under 5 years of Age in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Nepal–A prospective Observational Study

Background: Acute renal failure is one of the important complications of acute gastroenteritis in children. Early intervention and proper fluid replacement may lessen this risk. Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract that commonly affects young children. It causes an increase in loss of water and electrolytes due to vomiting and diarrhea resulting to dehydration, which is the main cause of mortality in children under five years with acute gastroenteritis. Therefore, this study was designed to find out the incidence of AGE and the status of associated electrolyte derangements, renal involvement and other biochemical and haematological variables. Material and Methods: This cross sectional study comprised of 100 cases of AGE in children aged <5 years of age. Demographic profile of the patients, details of diarrhea, and accompanying degree of dehydration (defined as per World health Organization criteria) with any associated complication were included. Various electrolyte parameters along with biochemical and hematological parameters (serum urea, serum creatinine, hemoglobin, total leukocyte count) were investigated. Results: This study found that urea and creatinine were elevated in 29(29%) and 62(62%) of the cases respectively. Electrolyte disturbances were seen in 42% of cases among which hyponatremia was the most common electrolyte disturbance seen. Majority of patients had isonatremic dehydration 58%. Hyponatremic dehydration was most common in some dehydration, which was 30%. We found hypokalemia in 31% cases. Conclusion: Measurements of renal parameters early can help to predict the complications due to AGE and may help in the prevention of diarrhea related complications in children.