All issues > Volume 13(11); 1970

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1970;13(11):625-632. Published online November 30, 1970.

A Clinical Study on Dysentery in Childhood

S.J. Choi¹, S.Y. Hong¹, G.J. Lee¹

¹Dept, of Pediatrics, Ewha Womans University Hospital

Abstract

Total 305 cases of acute diarrhea during the period of 3 years were subjected in this study. All of these 305 patients were admitted in the pediatric ward of Ewha Womans University Hospital from September of 1966 to August 1969, and 109(35. 7%) out of 305 diarrhea cases were investigated as dysenteries. One hundred and nine cases of dysenteries were analysed according to the causes of the diseases and the result of treatment. The causes of the dysenteries can be devided into 3 groups. 1. Bacillary dysenteries: 58 cases (19%) 2.Amebic dysenteries: 27 cases (8.9%) 3. Dysenteries due to mixed infections of shigella and ameba: 24 cases (7. 6%) Clinical studies of the dysenteries showed the following results. 1.Incidence of dysenteries had increased during last 3 years(1966~1969), and higher prevalence7 of amebic dysenteries was observed in July and August of 1969. Higher incidence of mixed infections of shigella and ameba occured in 1969. 2.The dysenteries due to both amebic and bacillary infection were more prevalent in summer and autumn. 3.Both diseases had high morbidity in the age of 6 months to 2 years, and boys had a little more higher incidence than girls. Sex ratio of the mixed infections was 2 males to 1 female. 4.Initial symptoms of the dysenteries were fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, tenesmus, and neurologic symptoms. It is to remenber that 18 cases (31%) of bacillary dysenteries showed neurologic symptoms. Mucous and bloody stool appeared in 60% of the dysenteries or more. 5.Leucocyte count in the peripheral blood revealed wide variations in all groups of the dysenteries, but band form of neutrophils had increased in cases of the bacillary dysenteries. 6. The Most common pathogenic group in bacillary dysenteries was Sh. flexnerii, and the others were as following order: Sh. sonnei, Sh. boydii, Sh. dysenterieae. 7.The most effective chemotherapeutic agent of bacillary dysenteries was ampicillin. In treating the amebic dysenteries, combined use of amebicidal agents and antibiotics made more faverable results than using each agent alone.

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