WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Dr. Emad Yassin Mohammed*, Dr. Allya Mohammed Ali and Dr. Iman Yaseen Mohammed

ABSTRACT

Background: Diarrhea is a global issue causing significant morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in developing countries. Children under 5 are most susceptible, accounting for 18% of fatalities. Risk factors include inadequate WASH practices, not breastfeeding, age <24 months, and low maternal education. Interventions like immunization and hand-washing effectively reduce diarrhea. Aim: To find the prevalence of severe acute diarrhea in children below two years old and to fin the diarrhea specific admission rate in Mosul city. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on children with diarrhea admitted to Al-Khansaa Teaching Hospital from May to August 2023. The participants were children 2-24 months old with acute diarrhea within the previous 2-4 days. Researchers used checklists and patients' medical files to collect detailed data. IBM-SPSS was used for statistical analysis, with chi square for goodness of fit. Results: The study found that out of 877 children admitted to pediatric wards, only 211 had diarrhea age from 2-24 months, with a disease-specific admission rate of 24.1%. The majority were between 2-6 months old, males, and females. Urban residents had higher rates of diarrhea. The diarrhea was categorized as bloody or non-bloody, with a significant association with fever. The duration of diarrhea was 3.6 days and hospitalization was 2.45 days. Conclusion: Diarrheal illness is the leading cause of death and morbidity globally, and it accounts for a notably high percentage of admissions in children under two. The study found a strong correlation with male gender, living in an urban area, not exclusively breastfeeding, low weight for age percentiles, and younger age than six months.

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