Sana Manazir, Fatima Jawed, Waseem Jamalvi, Muzamil Shabana Ejaz.
Electrolyte Abnormalities in Children with Diarrhea and its Association with Inpatient Stay - a Single Centre study from Karachi, Pakistan.
Pak Paed J Jan ;46(2):120-7.

Objective: To determine the electrolyte imbalance in children with acute watery diarrhea, before and after administration of Intravenous (IV) fluids and its association with management plan post-emergency department resuscitation and duration of stay at inpatient department. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the department of Pediatrics Emergency, Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan for the duration of 3 months, from January 2022 to March 2022. Material and Methods: A total of 169 children aged between 2 months to 12 years presenting with acute watery diarrhea participated in the survey. A preformed questionnaire was filled, after obtaining informed consent from parents/guardian of each participant. The analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. Results: Majority participants had diarrhea for <=7 days (75.1%), and 21.9% were severely dehydrated. The most common electrolyte abnormality found was hypokalemia (23.7%), after hydration which was reduced to 7.1%. None of the children reported hypernatremia, hyperkalemia or hypercalcemia. Around 37% children were managed inpatient, and it was associated with the status of dehydration and electrolytes level. Amongst hospitalized children, around two-third had a hospital stay of less than 3 days. Conclusion: Electrolyte abnormalities are quite frequent in children with acute diarrhea. Hence, early detection is essential to avoid complications. Intravenous fluid replacement therapy has a significant role in correcting the electrolyte imbalances, alleviating inpatient stay and ultimately reducing the associated morbidity and mortality.

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