Gastroenteritis: Definition, Incidence, Morbidity, and Mortality

This report defines gastroenteritis as an infection of the stomach primarily caused by bacterial infections and viral intoxications, leading to diarrhea and vomiting. It highlights the global prevalence of this disease, with a specific focus on Saudi Arabia and Nepal, where factors such as lower socioeconomic status and parental education levels contribute to its high incidence, particularly among children. The report presents morbidity and mortality data, revealing high rates of gastroenteritis in both countries, with significant numbers of deaths among children under five, emphasizing the financial burden on families and the loss of lives. It also references several studies that support these findings, including the impact of rotavirus infections, and discusses the implications for public health, the economy, and the overall well-being of the affected populations. The report emphasizes the need for improved hygiene, education, and healthcare interventions to mitigate the impact of gastroenteritis. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that gastroenteritis is a hazardous disease since it dehydrates the patients and kills them within a short period if not treated.

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Define Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach. It is mainly caused by bacterial infections
and viral intoxications which result in diarrhea and vomiting. It is a common infection
worldwide that affects people of different age sets.
Incidence of Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is a common disease that affects a large population in the Middle East,
Saudi Arabia, in particular, and other parts of the world. Of more interest to this study is its
prevalence in Nepal.
Gastroenteritis
Children below five years children and infants
Defined factors inspire the high prevalence of Gastroenteritis in these two countries. For
instance, Hegazi et al. (1) identified differences in monthly family income and level of education
as the main risk factors. In their study, families with lower socioeconomic status were at more
risk of Gastroenteritis (4). Furthermore, children whose parents had not gone past secondary
school were at more risk of Gastroenteritis in both countries (2). Ultimately, the prevalence of
the infection relates to hygiene and ignorance.
Saudi Arabia Nepal

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Morbidity and mortality
Saudi Arabia and Nepal have high incidences of Gastroenteritis among children than
adults. A study by Khalil et al. (5) identified a high prevalence of Gastroenteritis among children
in Saudi Arabia. By 2016/2017, a total of 1,184,120 Gastroenteritis cases were reported o.44% of
which suffered from severe diarrheal disease (2; 3). In Saudi Arabia, the number of children aged
below five who die of diarrhea is estimated to be 1530, including 474 deaths from RV infection
(5). This is an alarming trend since these numbers continue to increase annually. In Nepal, “5.9
million children under the age of 5 years died in 2015 and more than half them were due to those
conditions” (2; 5). The infant mortality rate stands at 32/1000 live births. Mortality rate is
39/1000 live births for children aged five and below (4). These statistics keep on increasing
though.
Because of the high hospitalization costs, the infection milks a lot of money from the
community to cater for medical expenses. It should be worth mentioning that Gastroenteritis is a
hazardous disease since it dehydrates the patients and kills them within a short period if not
treated (3). Therefore, there is an increased financial burden in society as families try to find
balance given the high rates of poverty.
Also, there is a loss of lives in a society which reduces its populace. Every year several
deaths are reported which denies society an opportunity to have a positive increase in population.
Families remain desperate and in dire need of children lost to the disease (3; 2). Besides, much
time is used caring for the patients in the hospital, thus affecting the economy since people are
not able to work (4).

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Reference List
1. Hegazi MA, Sayed MH, Sindi HH, Bekhit OE, El-Deek BS, Alshoudri FM, Noorelahi
AK. Is rotavirus still a major cause for diarrheal illness in hospitalized pediatric patients
after rotavirus vaccine introduction in the Saudi national immunization program?.
Medicine. 2017 Apr;96(15). Available from
https://sci-hub.tw/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28403085
2. Nahari A, AlGhamdi SM, Alawfi A, Faqeehi H, Alzahrani S, Abu-Shaheen A, Al-
Hussaini A. The Clinical Burden of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis: A Prospective Study.
Cureus. 2017 Dec;9(12). Available from https://www.cureus.com/articles/8926-the-
clinical-burden-of-rotavirus-gastroenteritis-a-prospective-study
3. Shrestha S, Thakali O, Raya S, Shrestha L, Parajuli K, Sherchand JB. Acute
Gastroenteritis associated with Rotavirus A among children less than 5 years of age in
Nepal. BMC infectious diseases. 2019 Dec;19(1):456. Available from
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4092-2
4. Khalil M, Azhar E, Kao M, Al-Kaiedi N, Alhani H, Al Olayan I, Pawinski R, Gopala K,
Kandeil W, Anis S, Van Doorn LJ. Gastroenteritis attributable to rotavirus in hospitalized
Saudi Arabian children in the period 2007–2008. Clinical epidemiology. 2015;7:129.
Available from https://sci-hub.tw/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25709500
5. Sherchand JB, Thakali O, Sherchan JB, Bhandari D, Tandukar S, Paudel KP, Shrestha
BM, Rayamajhi A, Rai GK. Hospital based surveillance and molecular characterization

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of rotavirus in children less than 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis in Nepal.
Vaccine. 2018 Dec 14;36(51):7841-5. Available from
https://sci-hub.tw/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30385057