Factors influencing the duration of acute diarrheal disease in infancy.

The majority of episodes of acute infectious diarrhea in infancy are of relatively short duration. Prolongation of the diarrhea presents problems in management, deterioration of the infant's nutritional status, and an increased mortality. As part of a prospective study of the etiology of acute infectious diarrhea, some factors associated with the probability (more or less) of having self-limiting disease have been identified. The well-nourished infant over 6 months of age is more likely to have self-limiting disease, whereas this outcome is least likely in the very young infant under 3 months of age, particularly if underweight for age. With the exception of Shigella, bacterial enteropathogens (Campylobacter fetus jejuni, Salmonella B, and certain enteropathogenic Escherichia coli types) were also associated with a decreased likelihood of self-limiting disease. Rotavirus infection was associated with self-limiting disease except in the infant under 3 months of age, where the probability of self-limiting disease was decreased.