Longitudinal studies of infectious diseases and physical growth of children in rural Bangladesh. I. Patterns of morbidity.

Longitudinal studies were done in two villages in rural Bangladesh to learn more about the interactions between infectious diseases and the nutritional status of children. An intensive system of surveillance was used to determine the occurrence and frequency of infectious diseases in a cohort of 197 children aged 2-60 months in 1978-1979. This surveillance revealed that illnesses of the upper respiratory tract, such as purulent rhinitis and pharyngitis, had the highest prevalence. Diarrheas were the second most common illnesses, with a peak prevalence rate in children 6-11 months of age. Diarrhea was also the most frequent reason for hospitalization of study children. The overall prevalence of infectious diseases was high: at least one and often several concurrent illnesses were noted on 75% of all days of observation. Compared with children in the surrounding area, children in this study had a low mortality rate, perhaps because of medical services provided during the study. Nevertheless, the extensive morbidity from infectious diseases may have had adverse effects on the growth and development of the children.