Stool White-cell Count as a Predictor of Long-term Admission in Healthy Patients with Acute Diarrhea

Kim, Hoon; Lee, Suk Woo; Chung, Sung Pil; Kim, Seung Whan; Yoo, In Sool; Ha, Young Rock

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the predictors of long-term admission in patients with acute diarrhea at an early stage of their emergency department (ED) visit.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 125 patients who visited our ED with complaints of acute diarrhea and abdominal pain and underwent a stool test during one year (Jan. to Dec. 2001). We excluded patients who were transferred out or were self-discharged and those with another illness. We checked the numbers of cases of diarrhea, the presence of fever and abdominal pain, the stool cell counts, the blood cell counts, platelets, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine on admission. We also counted the length of stay and defined a stay of over 4 days in the hospital as a long-term admission. We tried to find parameters that could predict long-term admission at an early stage.
RESULTS
A total of 125 patients were enrolled (men : 56 ; women : 69), and their mean age was 44 +/- 0.25 years. The mean length of stay was 3.0 +/- 0.02 days. The length of stay had a statistically significant correlation with the stool WBC (p<0.01, R=0.361). Only the stool WBC a the discriminative variable for long-term admission (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
The stool WBC was a statistically significant predictive variable to determinate the long-term admission and the severity of acute diarrhea, and we think it could be used to make an early decision for the close medical attention.