Breast milk effects on clinical signs of acute gastroenteritis in infants up to 6 months of age

Acute gastroenteritis is one of the most common infections in childhood and it can be especially dangerous in the first 6 months of life with a higher risk of moderate and severe dehydration, especially in infants who are not exclusively breastfed. The aim of this study was to to evaluate the clinical pattern of acute gastroenteritis in infants up to 6 months of age, to correlate the severity of the disease related to the type of nutrition and to determine the possible microbiological causes of the acute gastroenteritis in this age group. A total of 23 infants with acute gastroenteritis divided into 2 groups based on the feeding patterns (type of milk) were included in the study. Investigated indicators were severity of symptoms, dehydration degree and the need for parenteral rehydration. It was identified a statistically significant association between group affiliation and severity of symptoms depending on the feeding type between first and second group. The most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants up to 6 months of age was Rotavirus. Our study has shown that exclusive breastfeeding reduces the risk of Rotavirus infection especially in the first 6 months of life OR= 0.0758, 95% CI (0.0071-0.8074). Breast milk has an effect on the severity of the clinical picture of acute gastroenteritis by reducing the number and severity of diarrheal episodes, the vomiting frequency, fever frequency and the risk of moderate and severe dehydration. Key words: diarrhea, severity, breastfeeding, Rotavirus