Etiology and Risk Factors of Acute Gastroenteritis in a Taipei Emergency Department: Clinical Features for Bacterial Gastroenteritis

BACKGROUND: The causative pathogen is rarely identified in the emergency department (ED), since the results of cultures are usually unavailable. As a result, antimicrobial treatment may be overused. The aim of our study was to investigate the pathogens, risk factors of acute gastroenteritis, and predictors of acute bacterial gastroenteritis in the ED. METHODS: We conducted a matched case-control study of 627 stool samples and 612 matched pairs. RESULTS: Viruses (41.3%) were the leading cause of gastroenteritis, with noroviruses (32.2%) being the most prevalent, followed by bacteria (26.8%) and Giardia lamblia (12.4%). Taking antacids (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.57–6.53), household members/classmates with gastroenteritis (aOR 4.69; 95% CI, 2.76–7.96), attending a banquet (aOR 2.29; 95% CI, 1.64–3.20), dining out (aOR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.13–2.54), and eating raw oysters (aOR 3.10; 95% CI, 1.61–5.94) were highly associated with gastroenteritis. Elders (aOR 1.04; 05% CI, 1.02–1.05), those with CRP >10 mg/L (aOR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.15–3.62), or those who were positive for fecal leukocytes (aOR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.15–3.62) or fecal occult blood (aOR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.03–3.77) were more likely to be hospitalized in ED. In addition, presence of fecal leukocytes (time ratio [TR] 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06–1.41), abdominal pain (TR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07–1.41), and frequency of vomiting (TR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64–0.98) were significantly associated with the duration of acute gastroenteritis. Presence of fecal leukocytes (aOR 2.08; 95% CI, 1.42–3.05), winter season (aOR 0.45; 95% CI, 0.28–0.74), frequency of diarrhea (aOR 1.69; 95% CI, 1.01–2.83), and eating shrimp or crab (aOR 1.53; 95% CI, 1.05–2.23) were highly associated with bacterial gastroenteritis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the final model was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.55–0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Acute bacterial gastroenteritis was highly associated with season, frequency of diarrhea, frequency of vomiting, and eating shrimp or crab.