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• Why starve? Give what the child needs!
  Santosh Kondekar
  Published on: 23 June 2003

• Published on: 23 June 2003

  Why starve? Give what the child needs!

  • Santosh Kondekar, Asst Medical Officer PICU
  • Other Contributors:
    • Alpana K Somale

  Dear Editor

  Acute gastroenteritis being an inflammatory process, many physicians advice a rest to bowel during the phase and in the convalescence.

  Outcome of it will be definitely affected by diet as diet was the sole factor causing the gastroenteritis. SO diet cant be stopped. Gradual introduction of food is a vague term as the question of 'how gradual introduction?' makes it irrelevant.

  Its agreeable...

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  Dear Editor

  Acute gastroenteritis being an inflammatory process, many physicians advice a rest to bowel during the phase and in the convalescence.

  Outcome of it will be definitely affected by diet as diet was the sole factor causing the gastroenteritis. SO diet cant be stopped. Gradual introduction of food is a vague term as the question of 'how gradual introduction?' makes it irrelevant.

  Its agreeable by all that we require more liquids to counter the ongoing losses and the dehydration; eventually landing up in semisolid or liquid diet in early management of gastroenteritis at least till dehydration ceases to exist. Normal diet can be started provided the gastroenteritis is not a sequale of a chronic disease like malabsorption syndrome.

  Feeding doesnot stop or slow down the gastroenteritis but it just helps in tackling dehydration. Gastroenteritis, either viral or bacterial has its own course and may require specific medicines which definitely help in reducing the duration and frequency of motions in gastroenteritis.

  Whatever diet is given (slow or gradual) should satisfy the necessary caloric requirement and the fluid requirement of dehydration.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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