El abandono de la lactancia materna exclusiva en lactantes menores y su relación con el desarrollo de gastroenteritis y colitis en el Hospital General del Norte IESS los Ceibos durante los años 2023 a 2024.

Abstract

Exclusive breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the protection and development of the immune system of infants, reducing the risk of several infections and diseases. The early interruption of this practice occurs in more than 50% of the Ecuadorian population, promoting immunological depression in newborns and encouraging the development of acute diarrheal diseases such as gastroenteritis, which is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. The present study is a correlational, retrospective, cross-sectional and analytical study that demonstrates the relationship between the abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding with the development of gastroenteritis and colitis in young infants, through a database of 211 pediatric patients at the Hospital General del Norte IESS Los Ceibos during the period 2023-2024. The results obtained showed 211 cases of gastroenteritis and colitis in which 31.3% were exclusively breastfed, 61.6% received breastfeeding milk and formula (mixed feeding), and 7.1% only received formula. The analysis of the obtained results shows that the association between exclusive breastfeeding and the development of gastroenteritis in young infants is not statistically significant. However, mixed feeding in our pediatric population indicates that infants are three times more likely to develop gastroenteritis in younger infants, and have a personal history of hospitalization.