Evaluation of vomiting among children admitted to al-azhar university hospital in assiut

Abstract

Background: Vomiting is a common problem in children for which parents seek health care consultation. It has a varied etiology encompassing many organ systems, ranging from a benign physiological behavior to a life-threatening systemic disease. Most often, it is benign and self-limiting. Infections within and outside the gastrointestinal tract are the commonest causes. Objective: To evaluate the gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal causes of vomiting in children admitted to Al-Azhar University Hospital in Assiut from December 2019 to June 2020. Patients and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 105 children admitted to Al-Azhar University Hospital in Assiut during the period from December 2019 to June 2020 presenting with vomiting. Their ages varied from 2 to10 years old and included 64 males and 41 females. Results: Acute gastroenteritis was the leading cause of vomiting among all cases. It was observed that dehydration (86.0%) and weight loss (70.2%) were the most common clinical signs among GI causes of vomiting. Regarding laboratory results, anemia was presented in most of our cases, due to GI and non-GI causes of vomiting, representing (82.4%) and (70.8%) respectively. Abdominal U/S showed a high ability in diagnosing renal stones in (12.5%) of cases with non-GI causes of vomiting. Conclusion: The commonest GI cause of vomiting in children was gastroenteritis, followed by hepatitis A infection. The commonest non-GI cause of vomiting was lower respiratory tract infection. Weight loss was considered a golden standard in assessment of dehydration. Abdominal U/S was a useful tool for the diagnosis of renal stones.