Clinical Features in Hospitalised Children with Acute Gastroenteritis: Does the Rotavirus Syndrome Exist?

Abstract

In a prospective study of children referred to hospital, rotavirus was identified in 37% of 128 patients with acute gastroenteritis. As compared with patients with non-rotavirus gastroenteritis, those with rotavirus gastroenteritis showed the following clinical characteristics: age between 5 mo. and 4 yr; occurrence of the rotavirus infection almost exclusively during the winter season; severe vomiting; absence of gross blood in the stools. However, these signs did not form a safe basis for the clinical diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis. One or more signs of upper respiratory illness were observed in 36% of the patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis and in 35% of those with non-rotavirus gastroenteritis. Consequently, the existence of a rotavirus syndrome is questioned. It is argued that upper respiratory illnesses in patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis could be due to a separate infection occurring coincidentally.