TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1996//
TI  - Dehydration deaths in infants and young children
JO  - American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
A1  - Whitehead, F. J.
A1  - Couper, R. T.
A1  - Moore, Linda
A1  - Bourne, A. J.
A1  - Byard, Roger W.
SP  - 73
EP  - 78
VL  - 17
IS  - 1
N2  - Dehydration in developed countries is an uncommon but important mechanism resulting in the death of infants and children. The clinicopathological features of a series of 37 fatal dehydration cases autopsied at the Adelaide Children's Hospital over a 33-year period (1961-1993) are presented. Causative factors for dehydration included gastroenteritis (21 cases), gastroenteritis with high environmental temperature (one case), high environmental temperatures (six cases), neglect/failure to thrive (four cases), mental retardation/chromosomal abnormality (three cases), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (one case), and unsuspected cystic fibrosis (one case). The mean age at death was 11.4 months (range 2 weeks to 6.25 years; median 6 months; 95% confidence interval 6 months to 1 year and 4 months; male-to-female ratio, 19:18). Sixteen of the 22 cases of fatal gastroenteritis (73%) occurred during the fall/winter months (March to August). There were a total of seven aboriginal or part aboriginal children in the group (19%). Children with mental retardation were at higher risk of dehydration, and previously unsuspected cases of child abuse/neglect also presented with lethal dehydration. Vitreous humor electrolyte levels and immunoassay for rotavirus were useful diagnostic adjuncts.<p /> <p>Language: en</p> 
LA  - en
SN  - 0195-7910
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -