Sociodemographic, Environmental and Clinical Risk Factors for Developing Persistent Diarrhoea among Infants in a Rural Community of Egypt

The study documents the incidence of persistent diarrhoea and its sociodemographic, household, environmental and clinical risk factors. One hundred and fifty-two newborns were followed for the first 12 months of life in Bilbeis, Egypt. The household of each participant was surveyed at baseline and was visited twice a week. The study infants experienced persistent diarrhoea at a rate of 0.51 episode/case per year. Development of persistent diarrhoea was associated with water storage in mud-containers (Odds ratio [OR]=4.36, confidence interval [CI] 1.4-14.8), pump-water supply (OR=3.5, CI 1.2-10.2), and absence of a latrine in the household (OR=2.74, CI 1.01-7.38). Detection of faecal IgE (OR=3.32, CI 1.0-10.9) and high stool frequency (OR=2.95, CI 1.1-7.8) appeared as important clinical predictors for the onset of persistent diarrhoea. The incidence of persistent diarrhoea among young infants in Bilbeis, Egypt, was high. Sociodemographic, environmental and clinical parameters were important risk factors for the development of persistent diarrhoea.