ACID AND BASE DISORDERS IN DIARRHOEA AND VOMITING:STUDY IN 805 INFANTS WITH GASTROENTERITIS

This study was carried out on 1330 infants, from one to 24 months old, suffering from diarrhoea and moderate to severe dehydration who were hospitalized in Bahrami childrens' hospital over a period of eleven months. Fifteen percent of them had signs of shock and 36% had marasmus. Nine percent of treated children required readmission to hospital within 24 hours of discharge and 8% were hospitalized elsewhere. In 805 patients blood electrolytes were studied when hospitalized and after rehydration. Blood bicarbonate during hospitalization ranged between 2 to 24 mmol/L (an average of 13.4 mmol/L). After rehydration, blootl bicarbonate value reached to range of 8 to 25 mmol/L, (an average of 20 mmol/L). Blood pH was reported between 6.84 to 7.56 when hospitalized (an average of 7.17). After rehydration this value ranged between 7.05 to 7.45 (an average of 7.27).