Clinical Characteristics, and Antibiotic Effectiveness in the First 48 Hours in Children Under 5 Years of Age with Bacterial Dysentery

Abstract

Background: Bacterial dysentery is diarrhea with blood (plus or minus mucus), indicating an invasive infection. With effective antibiotic treatment, clinical improvement occurs within 48 hours, which leads to a reduction in the risk of serious complications and death, a shorter duration of illness, and a reduction in transmission. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical features, risk factors, and effectiveness of antibiotics in the first 48 hours in children under 5 years old with bacterial dysentery.

Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, children less than 5 years old with bacterial dysentery hospitalized in Ali Ibn Abitaleb and Ali Asghar Hospital in Zahedan, Iran in 2014-2016 were enrolled. After obtaining the necessary permits from the ethics committee, the researcher extracted the information on 85 cases of patients diagnosed with bacterial dysentery, taking into account the entry and exit criteria in an accessible way. The information was entered into the questionnaire

Results: The mean age of the patients was 31.17±16.04 months. 52.9% of patients were girls (n=45).  Fever was observed in 100% of patients(n=85). The severity of mild, moderate, and severe dehydration was observed in 36.47%, 40%, and 25.53% of the patients, respectively. The most injected antibiotic was ceftriaxone. White blood cell (WBC) levels decreased significantly after receiving treatment (antibiotic). (before treatment: 13.22±9.91 and after treatment: 8.57±2.71 cells/microliter, P-value=0.001).

Conclusion: Our study showed that antibiotic treatment in bacterial dysentery effectively reduces the serum level of WBC. It is suggested that educational programs for mothers in the field of child nutrition be provided and that the effectiveness of different types of antibiotics be compared in future studies.