Observation of the clinical characteristics of chronic diarrhoea in children and evaluation of the prognostic value of nutritional and immune indicators.

BACKGROUND

This research aimed to assess the clinical characteristics of chronic diarrhoea in children and explore the prognostic value of nutritional status and immune indicators.

METHODS

A total of 190 patients with chronic diarrhoea from January 2017 to June 2020 were enrolled to analyze their epidemiology. The patients were divided into a better prognosis group (cured and improved) and a poor prognosis group (uncured). The efficacy of nutritional status and immune indicators in children's chronic diarrhoea prognosis was analyzed.

RESULTS

Most patients were 0-3 years old (74.2%), of which 54.3% were less than 1 year old, and 48.95% had a course of 1 to 2 months. The albumin, immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and IgM levels, albumin, globulin, and the ratio of albumin to globulin in the better prognosis group were higher than those in the poor prognosis group. The AUC (area under the curve) of the combined detection in evaluating the prognosis of children with chronic diarrhoea was greater than that of the albumin and globulin alone (P<0.05). IgG 10.05 g/L and IgA 7.72 g/L were protective factors affecting the prognosis of children with chronic diarrhoea.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with chronic diarrhoea are mainly infants and young children with various clinical symptoms and are prone to comorbidities such as malnutrition, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and impaired immune function. In evaluating the prognosis of children, evaluating nutritional status and immune indicators together is valuable.