Risk factors and gender differentials for death among children hospitalized with diarrhoea in Bangladesh

To identify risk factors for death among children with diarrhoea, a cohort of 496 children, aged less than 5 years, admitted to the intensive care uni t of a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Bangladesh, was studied during Novemb er 1992-June 1994, Clinical and laboratory records of children who died and of those who recovered in the hospital were compared, Deaths were signific antly higher among those who had altered consciousness, hypoglycaemia, sept icaemia, paralytic ileus, toxic colitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, haemoly tic-uraemic syndrome, invasive or persistent diarrhoea, dehydration, electr olyte imbalances, and malnutrition, Females experienced a 2-fold higher ris k of death than males (p=0.003). Several indices of severe infections were identified more frequently among females than males. Females with severe in fections were less frequently brought to the hospital than their male count erparts, The time lapse between onset of symptoms and hospital admission wa s significantly higher in females than males, This study suggests initiatio n of programmes to alleviate social disparity between genders for healthcar e in poor communities, The study-results may also help physicians identify either prognostic indicators or risk factors for death among children hospi talized with severe illnesses associated with diarrhoea.