Gastrointestinal infections in children

Gastrointestinal infections in children are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Children living in developing countries are particular ly susceptible to infectious diarrhea because of poor standards of hygiene and sanitation. Although the magnitude of diarrheal illnesses in developed countries is less, costly hospital admissions are still frequent, The causa l agent of infectious diarrhea is most frequently related to age, geographi cal location, lifestyle habits, use of antibiotics, associated medical cond itions, social circumstances, and degree of immune competence. In this arti cle we present some of the most important articles published in the field d uring the last year. The role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenensis o f gastritis and peptic ulcer disease has been shown in adults and children. Information about the natural history of H. pylori, symptomatology, and di agnostic therapeutic approaches for children are being generated constantly ; we discuss some of the most relevant information in this review. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.