effect of infant feeding upon the type and degree of dehydration

ABSTRACT

The dietary pattern of 1507 infants [1-26 months] presenting with diarrhea and dehydration was investigated during 1988-1989. Cases were classified into five groups Exclusive breast-feeding [390], breast-milk with supplements [652], artificial feeding [238], artificial with supplements [142] meaning diet [family diet] [85]. Laboratory data showed that hypernatremic was significantly more in artificially fed infants [24.5 of cases] compared with only 2.4% in breast-fed infants. Also, clinical evaluation of the cases proved that the severe degree of dehydration was more marked in artificially fed infants [12.4% of cases] compared with 2.2% in breast-fed infants. The duration of diarrhea was shorter in breast-fed infants [3-5 days in 81.9% of cases], while 76.1% of artificially fed had duration above 5 days. This observation supported the preventive value of breast milk against the development of hypernatremic dehydration and confirmed its anti-infective property