Faecal excretion of alpha-1-antitrypsin in acute diarrhoea.

Abstract

High levels of faecal alpha-1-antitrypsin were found in children suffering from acute rotavirus diarrhoea and in children with diarrhoea in whom no microbial pathogen could be established. The results suggest that transient protein-losing enteropathy is common in acute childhood diarrhoea and may influence the outcome of the disease.