ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of a 2-year-old male who is presented to the Emergency Department with a 2-day history of diarrhoea and vomiting. The child has a clinical picture suggestive of gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is a very common condition causing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical features are secondary to infection and destruction of enterocytes. The main symptoms are diarrhoea and vomiting, and some children may also have associated pyrexia or abdominal pain. The first-line treatment for clinical dehydration is oral rehydration therapy, using low osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS). The patient should be encouraged to have small sips often and be observed for a time period to assess the clinical response to this. The patient was clinically assessed to have mild dehydration. If a trial of ORS was tolerated, and the patient remained clinically stable, they can be discharged home.
