Merck Manual

Please confirm that you are a health care professional

honeypot link

Overview of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Neonates and Infants

By

Jaime Belkind-Gerson

, MD, MSc, University of Colorado

Reviewed/Revised Sep 2023
View PATIENT EDUCATION

Several gastrointestinal disorders can affect both neonates and infants, including

Infectious gastroenteritis Overview of Gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small and large intestines. Most cases are infectious, although gastroenteritis may occur after ingestion of drugs, medications... read more is the most common pediatric gastrointestinal disorder. About 3 to 5 billion episodes occur worldwide each year, most commonly in medically underserved countries and predominately among children < 5 years of age. In 2016, diarrhea was the eighth leading cause of death, causing > 1.6 million. More than 27% of these deaths occurred among children < 5 years of age (1 General references Several gastrointestinal disorders can affect both neonates and infants, including Gastroesophageal reflux Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis Intussusception Meconium ileus read more ).

In the United States, more than 350 million cases of infectious gastroenteritis occur annually, leading to 100 to 300 deaths.

Approximately 2% of children in developed countries will require hospitalization at some time because of acute gastroenteritis and dehydration. In the United States, acute gastroenteritis accounts for an estimated 200,000 hospitalizations and 1.5 million outpatient visits at a cost in excess of 2 billion dollars. The incidence of rotavirus gastroenteritis, which was the most common viral cause, has decreased by 58 to 90% because of routine administration of the rotavirus vaccines Rotavirus Vaccine The rotavirus vaccine is recommended for infants to protect against gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus disease. For more information, see Rotavirus Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices... read more . Norovirus is now the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in children in the United States (2 General references Several gastrointestinal disorders can affect both neonates and infants, including Gastroesophageal reflux Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis Intussusception Meconium ileus read more ).

General references

  • 1. GBD 2016 Causes of Death Collaborators: Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980-2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet 390(10100):1151-1210, 2017. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32152-9

  • 2. Sun ZW, Fu Y, Lu HL, et al: Association of Rotavirus Vaccines With Reduction in Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Children Younger Than 5 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials and Observational Studies. JAMA Pediatr 175(7):e210347, 2021. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0347

View PATIENT EDUCATION
NOTE: This is the Professional Version. CONSUMERS: View Consumer Version
quiz link

Test your knowledge

Take a Quiz! 
iOS ANDROID
iOS ANDROID
iOS ANDROID
TOP