Malaria diarrhoea in children.

Malarial diarrhoea in children are very variable and sometimes clinically indistinguishable from other diarrhoea in malaria endemic areas. This descriptive study was carried out to examine the proportion of malaria infection among diarrhoea children and compare the diarrhoea pattern to those of that diarrhoea without malaria infections. During January 1992-December 1994, data were collected and analysed. Out of 2,013 hospitalised children, there were 421 (20.91%) with diarrhoea. Out of 421, there were 150 (35.63%) diarrhoea with malaria infections. All cases are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Majority of the cases are in age group of under one, where fever is the predominant symptom. The length of stay of diarrhoea with malaria cases is longer than those of that diarrhoea without malaria infections.