Diarrhoea and gastroenteritis in the infant and young child.

Gastroenteritis is a major cause of diarrhoea in children. These children first present in the primary care setting for management, and the management and advice given varies between different practitioners. Unfortunately, the treatment and advice offered can occasionally be inadequate and inappropriate. This article highlights basic principles of management of gastroenteritis in children. The aim is to produce easily understandable, usable and reproducible evidence-based guidelines.