Case-control study of risk of dehydrating diarrhoea in infants in vulnerable period after full weaning

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Abstract
Objectives: To investigate risk factors for dehydrating diarrhoea in infants, with special interest in the weaning period. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Subjects: Cases were 192 children aged 0-23 months hospitalised with acute diarrhoea and moderate to severe dehydration. Controls were 192 children matched for age and neighbourhood who did not have diarrhoea in the previous week. Main outcome measures: Associations between dehydrating diarrhoea and child's age, type of milk consumed, time since breast feeding stopped, and breast feeding status. Results: In infants aged Conclusion: These results confirm the protective effect of breast feeding and suggest there is a vulnerable period soon after breast feeding is stopped, which may be of relevance for developing preventive strategies. In this study infants who were exclusively breast fed were six times less likely to have dehydrating diarrhoea than bottle fed infants Partially breast fed infants were at intermediate levels of risk Children who were recently weaned showed a higher risk of dehydrating diarrhoea than those who had been weaned for six months or more Recently weaned children presenting with diarrhoea should receive closer attention from health workers