Changing patterns in childhood gastroenteritis.

A study was made of gastroenteritis and the causal organisms in children under 14 years admitted to a large Dublin isolation fever unit in 1987. The findings were compared with a similar study at the hospital in 1981. In 1621 admissions in 1987 (1770 in 1981), there was a significant drop in the incidence of E. coli (10.1% vs. 22.6% in 1981), Salmonella spp. (3.0% vs. 4.9%) and Shigella spp. (1.7% vs. 4.9%). Cryptosporidium was identified in 4% of cases in 1987, mainly from rural backgrounds. The peak incidence of total cases was in late winter compared with the 1981 peak in late summer/early autumn. The length of stay in hospital fell significantly (9.5 vs. 18.3 days). This change in the pattern of gastroenteritis in Ireland has already been described in other developed countries 15-20 years ago.