I, 5. Treatment of viral gastroenteritis

Viral gastroenteritis (mainly after rotavirus infection) directly causes death through dehydration. Thus, the treatment and prevention of dehydration are the primary goals in caring for infants with gastroenteritis. Viral gastroenteritis can also inflict considerable nutritional insult on children because of anorexia, vomiting, malabsorption, and traditional therapies in which nutritionally poor diets are offered. This chapter discusses the treatment of the deficiencies of fluids, electrolytes, and nutrients. While there are already very good cost-effective strategies for correcting the sequelae of viral gastroenteritis, there is little yet available to effectively treat the acute symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. The chapter discusses several potential modes of symptomatic therapy for viral gastroenteritis including probiotics, antivirals, passive immunotherapy, and antidiarrheals. The first major advance in the treatment of dehydration was the development of effective intravenous rehydration therapy.