Incidence and risk factors for carbohydrate intolerance in Thai infants with acute diarrhea: an outpatient-based study.

Until recently, information concerning carbohydrate intolerance complicating acute infantile diarrhea of outpatients in Thailand has been lacking. This prospective study was undertaken to determine the incidence and risk factors of secondary carbohydrate intolerance in outpatients. Of 197 well-nourished infants with acute diarrhea who were seen at the outpatient department of Songklanagarind Hospital between July 1991 and June 1992, 62 infants (31.3%) had carbohydrate intolerance, and 7 of the 62 (3.5%) also had acquired monosaccharide intolerance. The clinical characteristics that predicted infants with carbohydrate intolerance were : a low bodyweight relative to the length, dehydration (OR 4.55, 95% CI 1.1.5-17.9), the presence of mucus in diarrheal stools (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.23-6.32) and rotavirus infection (OR 3.49, 95% CI 1.20-10.18).