Flashcard · Diarrhoea and Dehydration in Children
How is diarrhoea defined in children?
Answer
Clinical relevance. Defining diarrhoea by consistency (not just frequency), adjusted for age, avoids over-diagnosing normal breastfed stools.
More Detail
Definition of diarrhoea in children
Diarrhoea is defined by both stool frequency and consistency, adjusted for age.
By age
- Infants: an increase in stool frequency to more than twice the usual number per day, or a stool volume of more than 10 g/kg/day.
- Older children: three or more loose or watery stools per day.
Key principle
- Stool consistency is more important than frequency - frequent formed stools are not diarrhoea, whereas loose/watery stools are (breastfed infants normally pass frequent soft stools).
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