A Synopsis of the American Academy of Pediatrics’Practice Parameter on the Management of Acute Gastroenteritis in Young Children

This article provides a summary of the practice parameter on gastroenteritis. The reader is urged to refer to the original document for a more thorough presentation.¹

Gastroenteritis was chosen as a topic for study because it is a common condition that can cause serious illness and death, especially in younger children. In addition, there is documented variation in how clinicians manage this disorder. Acute gastroenteritis is defined as diarrheal disease of rapid onset, with or without accompanying symptoms and signs such as nausea, vomiting,fever, or abdominal pain. The recommendations apply to children of 1 month to 5 years of age who otherwise are healthy and who live in developed countries. Most patients covered by the guideline will have viral or self-limited bacterial illness;however, the same principles can be applied to patients who have bacterial dysentery or protozoal disease.

The clinician managing a patient who has diarrhea must make many...