RESUMO
From prospective daily surveillance of diarrhea in a poor rural area of northeastern Brazil, this study of prolonged diarrheal episodes identified the 3% of diarrheal episodes that lasted 15 days or longer. These episodes also defined a subpopulation of children who spent over 16% of their days with diarrhea. Such children warrant further attention in an attempt to define potentially treatable causes as well as to assure appropriate nutritional support. There was no single season for these prolonged illnesses, but they appeared to involve both the wet, slightly warmer season of peak enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea as well as the dry, slightly cooler season of peak rotaviral infections. Limited etiologic data support this idea that multiple pathogens are found, often in combination with each other, that may work together to contribute to the important problem of chronic diarrhea. Future studies should focus attention on further defining risk factors, mechanisms, and appropriate therapy for the subset of children who experience prolonged diarrhea in this type of setting.