TITLE:
Acute Diarrhea in Children Aged 0 to 15 Years in the Pediatric Department of the Boffa Prefectural Hospital: Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects
AUTHORS:
Mariame Kouyaté, Emmanuel Camara, Kaba Bangoura, Alpha Oumar Diawando Diallo, Octave Castello Sodogandji
KEYWORDS:
Diarrhea, Children, Hospital, Boffa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Diarrhea is defined as the passage of at least three loose, watery, or abnormal stools per day. It is considered acute when it lasts less than 14 days. Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of acute diarrhea in children at the pediatric ward of the Boffa Prefectural Hospital. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted on all children aged 0 to 15 years seen in consultation or hospitalized for acute diarrhea at the pediatric ward of the Boffa Prefectural Hospital from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Results: We identified 128 cases of diarrhea in children out of a total of 1257, representing a hospital frequency of 10.18%. This places diarrhea fourth among the most frequently encountered illnesses in our ward. The mean age was 43.18 ± 36.79 months, with a range of 3 to 145 months. Signs of dehydration were predominantly sunken eyes (48.44%) and poor skin folds (26.6%). 52% of the children had mild dehydration, 33% moderate dehydration, and 15% severe dehydration. 95.3% of our patients received oral rehydration solution (ORS), and 21.9% received parenteral rehydration. Conclusion: Acute diarrhea remains a major public health problem, primarily affecting children under one year of age. The major risk of complications from acute diarrhea is related to the degree of dehydration and malnutrition, hence the need for early intervention.