Risk factors for death in under-five children presenting with acute diarrhoea in an urban teaching hospital in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Dehydration is believed to be the primary cause of acute diarrhoea-related mortality. However, it is likely that a number of demographic and clinical risk factors may also interact to create the continued mortality due to acute diarrhoea. This study sought to explore the contributory role of some of these risk factors on diarrhoea-related mortality. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 135 children between 29 days and 59 months admitted into the Diarrhoea Treatment and Training Unit during the period of July 2010 and January 2012. A range of demographic and clinical variables as well as outcome were obtained using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. To identify risk factors that were independently associated with mortality, a multivariate analysis was done after controlling for confounders. Fourteen (10.4%) children, nine males and five females died following admission. The odds of a child dying of an acute diarrhoea disease following admission was increased in children with co-diagnosis of pneumonia (AOR = 16.38, p = 0.03), non-usage of ORS (AOR = 16.52, p = 0.00), diarrhoea episodes > 6 times in 24 hours (AOR = 23.63, p = 0.00) and Duration of diarrhoea > 3 days before admission (AOR = 3.63, p = 0.04). Acute diarrhoea related mortality can be further reduced if awareness is created concerning these risk factors such that high risk children can easily be identified and targeted for intensive intervention.