MALNUTRITION IN ACUTE DIARRHEA

Key words: Malnutrition, Acute diarrhea, Refeeding

Acute diarrhea is still a frequent cause of admission. In about 50% of cases, in spite of adequate rehydration, these patients are discharged after 3-5 days with a lower weight than at admission. This occurs because refeeding in infants and small children with acute diarrhea is all too often hypocaloric and, given the existing evidence on the advantages of early refeeding with a normal diet, should be viewed as iatrogenic malnutrition.