Mesenteric Adenitis in Children
Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis
- Viral gastroenteritis represents the predominant cause of acute diarrhea in children under 2 years, though mesenteric adenitis can occur across pediatric age groups, with bloody diarrhea or white blood cells on stool examination suggesting bacterial causes requiring stool cultures 1, 2
- Stool cultures should be obtained when bacterial etiology is suspected based on clinical presentation (bloody diarrhea, severe symptoms, epidemiologic risk factors) 1, 3
Treatment and Management
- Regular diet should be continued in children who normally eat table foods, avoiding high simple sugar foods that exacerbate diarrhea 1
- Routine broad-spectrum antibiotics are NOT indicated when there is low suspicion of complicated appendicitis or acute intra-abdominal infection, and antimotility agents, adsorbents, and antisecretory drugs are ineffective and potentially harmful 1, 2, 4