Incidence and treatment of infantile gastro-entritis in general practice.

Abstract

A survey was made of the incidence of infective gastro-enteritis in infants aged 0-12 months, retrospectively over the 12 months before Oct. 1, 1966, and prospectively over Oct., Nov., and Dec. 1966. In the retrospective part of the survey, the incidence was 9% in relation to the number of babies registered in the practices; in the prospective part of the survey the incidence was 1.5% for the 3-month period. Regional variations in incidence suggested an epidemic nature for the condition, which was commonest in the youngest age-group of 0-1 month, with decreasing incidence in relation to increasing age. It was commoner in males than females. Both parts of the survey confirmed the low incidence of breast-feeding in these infants, being only 9% in the retrospective part of the survey and 11% in the prospective part. These figures are probably no different from those for the population generally, and there was no evidence that either the incidence of the condition or its response to treatment were influenced by the method of feeding. The majority of cases were satisfactorily treated at home with antibiotics, the hospital referral rate being only 10% in the retrospective part of the survey and 5% in the prospective part. The incidence of the condition remains as high as 10 years ago, and that the majority of cases are treated satisfactorily by the general practitioner.