Electrolyte Abnormalities in Children Presenting with Acute Gastroenteritis

Objective: To find out the frequency of electrolyte abnormalities among children with acute gastroenteritis. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: The Department of Pediatrics, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital, Rawlakot from July 2020 to December 2020. Material and Methods: A total of 159 children of both genders aged between 1 month to 5 years and presenting with acute gastroenteritis at outpatient or emergency department were included. At the time of enrolment, clinical and physical examinations were performed while medical history and presenting complaints were recorded. Frequency of electrolyte abnormalities like hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia and hyperkalemia were noted on a predesigned proforma. Results: In a total of 159 children, 86 (54.1%) were male. Mean age was noted to be 2.1+1.7 years while 69 (43.4%) children were aged between 1 to 3 years. Majority of the children, 104 (65.4%) belonged to rural areas of residence. Abdominal pain, vomiting and lethargy were the other most frequently observed presenting complaints noted among 91(57.2%), 60 (37.7%) and 51 (32.1%) children respectively. Among all children, mean serum sodium was noted to be 140+11.3 meq/L. Hyponatremia was found to be among 45 (28.3%) children while hypernatremia was present in 28 (17.6%) children with AGE. Mean serum potassium was calculated to be 4.2+3.7 mmol/L. Hypokalemia was found to be present among 28 (17.6%) children while hyperkalemia was noted to be among 10 (6.3%) children. Conclusion: Frequency of electrolyte abnormalities was found to be high among children with acute gastroenteritis. Timely identification and treatment of children presenting with acute gastroenteritis coupled with electrolyte abnormalities needs to be done to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. Keywords: Acute gastroenteritis, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, hypernatremia, hyponatremia