Síndrome disentérico en ni os menores de 5 a os.

Disenteric syndrome in children under 5 years of age.The World Health Organization (2004) reported that the dysentery accounts for 10 % of total cases of acute diarrhea worldwide, causing 15 % of all deaths from this cause. The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiology, ethiology and clinical features of dysentery in children < 5 years of age who attended outpatient medical visits for diarrhea at the Children’s Hospital “Dr. Jorge Lizarraga” Valencia. Carabobo State. 2003. Materials and Methods: A retrospective-descriptive study of 747 patients was done, and a non-probabilistic sample selected. Results: An increased incidence was observed in the months of May, September, October and November. The prevailing sex was male. Infants aged between 1 and 5 months were the most affected ones (86.8%); eutrophic children predominated; 87.4% belonged to working and low social classes. Parishes Miguel Pe a and Tocuyito were the most affected. Clinical features such as vomiting, fever, stools with mucus and blood lasted less than 3 days. 68% of faecal leukogram reported more than 20 leukocytes per field, acid pH predominant in faeces. The Shigella flexneri pathogen was the most frequent, followed by Campylobacter and Shigella sonnei spp. An increase in the percentage of resistance to Shigella flexneri, 100% to Trimethroprin sulfamethoxazole, this being the most frequently used antibiotic, previously. Conclusions: We found a greater frequency of diarrhea in males than in females, with infants under 6 months, in IV and V Graffar scales, being the most affected. Shigella flexneri was the most common pathogen isolated. Outstanding clinical features included vomiting, stools with mucus and blood, and fever during the first 3 days of illness. Faecal leukogram with a leukocyte count of over 20 per field, and acid pH in stools were important findings for laboratory diagnosis of bacterial dysentery, especially for Shigella flexneri.