Hirschsprung's disease in children in South Eastern Nigeria.

In a three year prospective study between January 1991 and December 1993 on 21 children with Hirschsprung's disease in our environment, the main complaint were abdominal distention, constipation, wasting, diarrhoea and retardation in growth in decreasing order of frequency. As in other reports a male preponderance of approximately 4:1 was observed in the study. Patients presented late to hospital and mostly when the complications of complete intestinal obstruction are obvious. This is normally when the habitual enema can no longer afford anymore relieve. A palliative transverse colostomy was considered essential in our environment whereby the complications normally associated with outright resection and anastomosis can be minimised. Public health education as to seeking early medical assistant is necessary. This may prevent fatal complications as some of the childhood mortality in our environment can be attributed to ignorance on the parts of parents.