THREE THUMB RULES FOR THREE DISEASES: ACUTE DIARRHEA, RECURRENT ABDOMINAL PAIN, COELIAC DISEASE

Key words: Acute diarrhea, Recurrent abdominal pain, Coeliac disease, Rehydration, Early refeeding, Helicobacter pylori

A gastroenterologist comments on three “thumb rules” for three common diseases. For acute diarrhea: oral rehydration, early refeeding and no antibiotics. For recurrent abdominal pain: “wait and see”, avoid searching for Helicobacter pylori and attempt making a positive diagnosis. For coeliac disease: consider the diagnosis even if no typical symptoms are present, use the best available test (hTTGA) and avoid postponing gluten introduction in the infant’s diet.