Abstract:

Objective: Acute gastroenteritis is an important health problem in young children with high morbidity and mortality. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the rate of rota antigen positivity, age, gender, seasonal characteristics, presence of vomiting, and hospitalization rates in cases diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis between the ages of 0-18. Materials and Method: This retrospective study included 8356 patients, aged 0-18 years, diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis between November 2014 and February 2022. Patients with chronic disease, immune deficiency, malnutrition, pre-diarrheal antibiotic use or chronic gastroenteritis were excluded from the study. The diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis was made by the determination of rotavirus antigen in the stool. Results: Rotavirus antigen positivity was detected in 1079 (12.9%) of 8356 patients included in the study. Of the patients with rotavirus antigen positivity, 497 (46.1%) were female and 582 (53.9%) were male. 64% of rota-negative cases and 82.4 of rota-positive cases were between 1 -5 years of age. Rota-negative acute gastroenteritis cases were most common in summer (28.8%) and autumn (28.8%), while rota-positive cases are more common in autumn (31.7%) and winter (33.4%). Vomiting accompanied 19.6% of rota-negative and 24% of rota-positive cases. Also, 38.6% of rota-negative cases were hospitalized. In rota-positive patients, the rate of hospitalization was 53.6 percent, higher and statistically significant (p<0.001). In rota-positive patients, the rate of hospitalization was 53.6 percent, higher and statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: Rotavirus is frequently seen as a causative agent in early childhood gastroenteritis. Its incidence is increasing in our country, especially in cold months. Vomiting accompanies more frequently than other factors and requires inpatient treatment at a higher rate. In order to prevent unnecessary antibiotic use, rotavirus antigen should be investigated in the stool sample in every case who was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. Regional studies are important in terms of contributing to epidemiological data.

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