Pediatrician Perspectives on the Evaluation and Treatment of
Acute Gastrointestinal Infections, Jeonbuk, South Korea, 2002

Lim, So Hee; Koe, Yang Sim; Jo, Dae Sun; Lee, Sin Jae; Hwang, Pyoung Han; Kilgore, P.; Nyhambat, B.; Kim, Jung Soo

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Pediatric Society 2003;46(12):1217-1223.
Published online December 15, 2003.

Pediatrician Perspectives on the Evaluation and Treatment of Acute Gastrointestinal Infections, Jeonbuk, South Korea, 2002

So Hee Lim¹, Yang Sim Koe¹, Dae Sun Jo¹, Sin Jae Lee², Pyoung Han Hwang¹, P. Kilgore³, B. Nyhambat³, Jung Soo Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea
²Epidemiological Department, Jeonbuk Provincial Health Center, Jeonju, Korea
³Internationl Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea

전라북도 소아과 개원의의 급성 위장염 환자에 대한 인식 조사

임소희^¹^, 고양심^¹^, 조대선^¹^, 이신재^²^, 황평한^¹^, P. Kilgore^³^, B. Nyhambat^³^, 김정수^¹

^¹전북대학교 의과대학 소아과학교실
^²전라북도 역학조사관
^³International Vaccine Institute

Correspondence:
Jung Soo Kim, Email: kimjsp@moak.chonbuk.co.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: This study was conducted to assess clinical practices related to the evaluation and treatment of patients with acute gastrointestinal infection(AGI) in infants and children. This survey also evaluated the current opinion regarding the use of rotavirus vaccine.
Methods
: This survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire provided to 82 pediatricians in private clinics of Jeonbuk province. From April to June, 2002, 63 of 82 pediatricians(76.8 %) responded to the survey.
Results
: The annual proportion of patients with AGI was 13%. The highest proportion of patients with diarrhea were reported for the months of October through December. For the treatment of diarrhea, pediatricians preferred to prescribe lactobacillus products, oral rehydration solution, enzyme products, anti-emetics, anti-diarrheal formula, nothing by mouth(NPO) and bowel movement inhibitors in descending order of frequency. Most pediatricians(79.4%) prescribed antibiotics in less than 20% of patients with AGI. Amoxicillin was the most commonly prescribed antibiotics followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole(TMP/SMX) and amoxicillin/clavulanate. Clinical manifestations that pediatricians considered as important factors in prescribing antibiotics were bloody diarrhea, mucoid diarrhea, high fever, persisting disease and abdominal pain. Diagnostic procedures that pediatricians preferred for AGI patients were stool examination(rotavirus antigen, RBC, WBC), abdominal X-ray, and serum electrolytes. Pediatricians had a strong interest in rotavirus vaccine(71.4%).
Conclusion
: Acute gastrointestinal illness remains a common problem, especially during the winter months in Korea. AGI manifesting as watery diarrhea is appropriately treated with commonly available agents but pediatricians appear ready to consider additional approaches to decrease the sizable disease burden of AGI among children in Korea.

Key Words: Acute gastrointestinal infection, Pediatrician, Survey