Nutritional management in diarrhoeal disease

Adequate nutritional intervention in diarrhoeal disease in children is cruc ial in obtaining optimal control of a disorder that may become life-threate ning. During recent years, important advances have been made in our underst anding of the pathophysiology of diarrhoeal states, in the formulation of o ral rehydration solutions and in the role of micro- and macronutrients in d iarrhoeal disorders. This chapter outlines some of the relevant concepts in the pathophysiology of diarrhoeal disease and provides a rationale for nut ritional intervention. Guidelines for nutritional management in the setting s of acute-onset diarrhoea, post-enteritis protracted diarrhoea and chronic non-specific diarrhoea are provided, mostly based on controlled clinical t rials and meta-analyses of evidence-based medicine.