gholamreza kalvandi

 In recent decades, the growing number of factories and vehicles has accelerated the release of environmental contaminants such as heavy metals. These inhalable pollutants often cause respiratory diseases and can endanger human health. Some heavy metals (e.g., zinc), on the other hand, are beneficial micronutrients, playing critical roles in the body.

 This systemic review and meta-analysis study aimed to examine the role of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in asthma.

 MeSH keywords, including lead, asthma, and zinc, along with their Persian equivalents were searched in the PubMed, Google, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, and SID databases. The articles published between 2000 and 2018 were included. For assessing heterogeneity, the Q and I2 statistics were applied. STATA version 14 was used for data analysis. The review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement.

 The frequency of asthma was 12% (95% CI: 11 - 13%, P < 0.001). The frequencies of high blood lead levels (BLL) in controls and patients with asthma were 2% (95% CI: 0 - 2.03, P < 0.001) and 3% (95% CI: 0 - 3.04, P < 0.001), respectively. The ratios of BLL of < 5, 5 - 10, and > 10 µg/dL were found to be 8% (95% CI: 0 - 9.7, P < 0.001), 10% (95% CI: 0.8 - 11, P < 0.001), and 9% (95% CI: 0.08 - 11, P < 0.001), respectively. The forced expiratory volume (FEV) was significantly correlated with zinc level. The results from meta-regression analysis suggested an increasing trend in asthma occurrence from 2000 to 2018.

 While zinc may have been protective against asthma, lead was a risk factor for respiratory diseases and asthma. Educating children and their parents about lead poisoning may have prevented or reduced lead intoxication and asthma in children.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most dreadful viruses causing high mortality rates and serious damages to hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency, related causes/risk factors, and treatments of HBV infection in Iran by systematic review and meta‑analysis.

The data were obtained by a literature search in the PubMed, Scopus, SID, and Web of Sciences databases. Keywords included prevalence, risk factors, causes, treatment, and HBV. The Persian equivalents of these keywords were also searched. The time span included 2004 to2021. The Q and I2 statistics were used to check heterogeneity among studies. The data were analyzed using Stata (version 14).

The frequencies of HBV infection and its pharmaceutical therapy were P = 6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4–9, I2 = 95.2%, P < 0.001) and 19% (95% CI: 18%–30%, I2 = 98.9%, P < 0.001), respectively. The most common risk factors/causes of HBV were narcotic consumption, blood‑related factors, and transmission from infected individuals with the respective frequencies of 27% (95% CI: 16%–38%, I2 = 88.7%, P < 0.001), 32% (95% CI: 11%–53%, I2 = 99.8%, P < 0.001), 25% (95% CI: 10%–41%, I2 = 99.3%, P < 0.001), and 15% (95% CI: 7%–22%, I2 = 98.4%, P < 0.001), respectively.

The most important causes of HBV infection were transmission from infected people, narcotic consumption, and blood‑related factors. The main therapeutic intervention for HBV was pharmaceutical therapy.

Considerable increase in gut motility after probiotic supplementations consumption is indicated in recent studies. The present study conducted to clarify whether supplementation with Saccharomyces boulardii can palliate the abdominal pain frequency in children with Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP). The present clinical trial was conducted on children referred to the Pediatric Departments of the Emam Khomeini hospital, Ilam, Iran, and Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran. Finally, patients were randomized to receive either 250 mg oral supplementation with Saccharomyces boulardii supplementation, Zist Thakhmir company, or placebo, twice daily for 3 weeks before the first clinical assessment. The intensity of the symptoms were evaluated using the OUCHER PAIN scale. A total of 104 FAP children with a mean age of 9.51±3.52 years enrolled in the study. 52 of them randomly were assigned to the treatment group and 52 patients were assigned to the placebo group. Statistical analysis demonstrated that treatment with Saccharomyces boulardii was effective in the treatment group after the 1st week of study. (P-value=0.001) To best of our knowledge, our investigation is the first trial which assess a correlation between taking Saccharomyces boulardii and symptoms reduction in FAP children through its probiotic effects. This disorder can be considered as a multifactorial disease which further investigations is needed to figure its risk factors and treatment modalities.

Due to the importance of neonatal health, this study was performed by systematic review and meta-analysis with the aim of determining the prevalence of birth trauma in neonates in Iran. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted according to the PRISMA’s checklist items. This study reviewed the articles published in Iran between 2000 and the beginning of July 2020. In this article, PICO indicators were used. Search in national databases in Iran(Scientific Information Database (SID), Iran Medex, Mag Iran, Iran Doc) and international databases(Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science (ISI), Cinahl, ScienceDirect) with keywords: Infant, Newborn, Birth Injuries, trauma, was done. The search was performed by two researchers. Data were analyzed using CMA software In this systematic review and meta-analysis study the total sample size of neonates in 9 studied articles was 42327 neonates. Also 9 articles had the necessary criteria to enter this systematic review and meta-analysis. Also, the overall prevalence of Neonatal birth trauma is 2.7% (95% CI [1.3, 5.3]), the prevalence of asphyxia in infants is 0.03 % (95% CI [0.02- 0.04]), the prevalence of brachial plexus paralysis is congenital. In infants equal to 0.02% (95% CI [0.01- 0.06]), the prevalence of congenital fracture in infants equal to 0.03% (95% CI [0.01- 0.08]), the prevalence of congenital injury in infants was 0.02% (95% CI [0.00-0.75]) and the prevalence of soft tissue injury at birth in infants was 0.02 % (95% CI [0.02- 0.03]). Due to the high prevalence of birth trauma in infants in Iran, therefore, interventions are recommended to reduce it. Further studies on the factors affecting it need to be done to appropriate interventions to reduce it.

The world hospital systems are presently facing many unprecedented challenges from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Prediction the deteriorating or critical cases can help triage patients and assist in effective medical resource allocation.

To develop and validate Machine Learning (ML) models based clinical characteristics at hospital admission to assessment the future critical condition that needs Intensive Care Unit (ICU) hospitalization.

Using a single-center registry, we studied the records of 1225 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized patients from Mostafa Khomeini hospital, focal point center for COVID-19 care and treatment in Ilam city, West of Iran. We applied 13 ML techniques from six different groups to predict ICU admission. To evaluate the performances of models the metrics derived from the confusion matrix were calculated.    

In this retrospective study, the median age was 50.9 years and 664 (54.20%) were male. The experimental results indicate that Meta algorithms have the best performance in ICU admission risk prediction with accuracy of 90.37%, sensitivity of 90.35%, precision of 88.25% , F-measure of 88.35% and ROC of 91%.

ML algorithms are useful predictive tools for real-time and accurate ICU risk prediction in patients with COVID-19 at hospital admission. This model enables, and potentially facilitates more responsive health systems that are beneficial to high risk COVID-19 patients.

Physiologic jaundice in neonates usually occurs during the first week of life. The main cause of this condition is increased serum bilirubin due to heme catabolism.

This systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of zinc sulfate in Iranian newborns with hyperbilirubinemia.

This review was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. The databases of ISI, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus were independently searched by two researchers using MeSH keywords. We included the studies published in different regions of Iran from 2015-2018. The obtained data were analyzed using the meta-analysis technique and STATA. To determine the heterogeneity across the studies, the Q and I square (I2) indices were used.

A total of 40 articles were collected from which 5 studies with adequate quality entered the systematic review process. The collected results were assessed in the intervention (zinc sulfate recipients) and control (without zinc sulfate treatment) groups. After the first day of consumption, total serum bilirubin level decreased 4.46 mg/dL (I2=61.9%, P=0.049) and 4.08 mg/dL (I2=72.9%, P=0.011) in the intervention and comparison groups, respectively. In the second and third days, the mean values of decreases in serum bilirubin reached 7.64 mg/dL and 6.66 mg/dL in the intervention and comparison groups, respectively. From the third day onward, serum bilirubin dropped by 8.46 and 7.08 mg/dL in intervention and control groups, respectively. Meta-regression analysis data based on the sample size and year of the study indicated a significant growing trend in using zinc sulfate by increasing years and sample size.

Zinc sulfate is a safe and effective medication in reducing bilirubin level and its usage has increased in recent years. Therefore, this supplement could be used for the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Background:

 In 2019, an unknown disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread in China. The disease is now widespread in almost all countries and has endangered the lives of many people. For this reason, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted with the aim of assessing the clinical characteristics of the disease in children and adolescents with COVID-19.

This systematic review and meta-analysis have been conducted by reviewing most of the epidemiologic studies on the worldwide prevalence of COVID-19 in children and adolescents. The following international databases were used: EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, and the Google Scholar Search Engine. The keywords used for searching included "child", "pediatric", "adolescents", "COVID-19", "Coronavirus", and "diagnosis”. The data were analyzed using STATA statistic software version 11.0.

The total number of patients was 2579, of which 1467 (56.9%) were male and 1110 (43.1) were female.All patients were in their childhood and adolescence years. At the beginning of the research, 1356 studies were reviewed, of which 987 entered the next reviewing stage. Finally, 14 studies were selected for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The prevalence of fever in children and adolescents was 55.0% (95% CI 0.55 [0.40, 0.70]), of cough 41.0% (95% CI 0.41 [0.27, 0.56]), of nasal discharge 9.0% (95% CI 0.09 [0.05, 0.12]), and of diarrhea 5.0% (95% CI 0.05 [0.02, 0.08]). 

Conclusion :

The results of this study can be a guide for pediatricians and specialists in the field of infectious diseases to identify the clinical signs of COVID-19 in children and adolescents.

Esophageal atresia (EA) with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is defined as a congenital malformation characterized with the interruption or obstruction of esophagus. Affected neonates may present with cyanosis during breast feeding, sialorrhea, coughing and difficulty in respiration. The defect should be corrected by surgery; otherwise, the condition can be life-threatening. Little is known about the long-term nutritional problems of children with EA. Our aim was to assess growth status and nutritional difficulties in children with EA.  This was a retrospective study on 32 children with EA between 2007 and 2016. Nutritional status and feeding problems were assessed by a questionnaire.  The most common EA-associated complications were esophageal stricture (84.4%), dysphagia (46.9%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (37.5%), and respiratory infections (25%). Majority of our patients showed normal growth parameters, and 96.9% of them had experienced at least one complication or feeding problem including needing to drink water to swallow food (25%), coughing during feeding (34.4%), vomiting (12.5%), and abdominal pain (34.4%). There were no significant associations between feeding problems and growth parameters.  Feeding problems are relatively common in children with EA. There is a need to provide nutritional consults to these patients to prevent or mitigate these problems.

Road accidents and casualties resulted are among the current challenges of human societies, which have imposed a high cost on the economies of countries.

Prediction of accidents caused by driving incidents helps planners achieve a suitable model to reduce the occurrence of traumas resulted from the driving accidents.

In this study, a seasonal time series model was used for predicting the number of road accident traumas. Data related to the patients referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam Province were evaluated from March 2012 to June 2017.

The results showed that during November and October in 2015 and 2016, we had the highest number of accidents due to high traffic during New Year’s Vacation, summer trips, and religious pilgrimages including the Arbaeen. Moreover, the results depicted that the seasonal Arima model was effective in predicting the number of traumas due to accidents. Furthermore, forecasting the model showed an ascending trend in the number of accidents in the following 3 years.

The number of accident traumas in the forthcoming months can be predicted through time series models. Of course, these models can be used by managers as appropriate tools for traffic analysis. Furthermore, the increasing trend in the number of traumas indicates that serious consideration for planning and managing such events seems necessary for the administrators in the near future.

Cirrhotic ascites is frequently complicated with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Here, we assessed the diagnostic validity of some inflammatory markers in children with SBP. This cross-sectional study was performed in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Ward of Namazi hospital of Shiraz. SBP was considered as ≥ 250 polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) /µL ascetic fluid (AF). Out of 150 liver cirrhotic patients with ascites, 41 (27.3%) were diagnosed with SBP. Mean WBC count and PMN per µL of AF were significantly higher in SBP patients than non-SBP (P < 0.0001). The highest specificity for the diagnosis of SBP was recorded for AF smear test (100%). Positive AF smear and culture tests rendered the highest positive predictive values (PPV, 100% and 88.2% respectively). The highest negative predictive value (NPV) was related to AF leukocyte esterase test (94.2%). The highest area under the curve (AUC) for diagnosis of SBP belonged to WBC count (0.956), total cell count (0.817), and LDH concentration (0.814) of AF. A cut off value of 290 WBC per µL AF resulted in respective 95.1% and 88.1% sensitivity and specificity. Trespass of WBC count and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of AF higher than cutoff values (290 cells/µL, and 175 (u/L), respectively) resulted in 82.9%, 92.7%, 81%, and 93.5% sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV, respectively. Total cell and WBC counts of AF strongly correlated with ascetic PMN count. Ascetic LDH, alone or in combination with WBC count of AF can be used as a potential surrogate for PMN counts in diagnosis of SBP

Many causes can lead to childhood rickets. We aimed to investigate the biochemical symptoms of childhood rickets with systematic review and meta‑analysis.

Seven articles published from 1975 to 2018 were recruited. The literature search was performed in the Scientific Information Database, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Elsevier databases using related keywords. For meta‑analysis, the results of the studies were pooled using the random‑effects model. The heterogeneity between the studies was checked using Q test and I2 index.

The total sample population consisted of 933 children with biochemical symptoms of rickets (133 participants per article). According to our findings, the mean serum levels of PO4, Ca, and alkaline phosphatase in children with rickets were 4.18 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.75–4.61, I2 = 98.3%, P < 0.001), 9.23 (95% CI: 8.78–9.68, I2 = 99.6%, P < 0.001), and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.23–1.44, I2 = 95.6%, P < 0.001), respectively.

Characterizing the biochemical symptoms of rickets in children can help to early diagnose and prevent the disease in children. Furthermore, educating parents about biochemical symptoms can lead to early diagnosis and successful treatment of rickets in children.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease that in addition to gastrointestinal complications has extra-intestinal complications such as neurological manifestations including seizure, encephalopathy, and ataxia.  This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of celiac in children with seizure.   This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 100 children with seizure during 1395. Blood samples were taken from all patients to assay IgA tissue transglutaminase (IgA anti tTG). Then, all patients with elevated levels of TTgIGA were subjected to endoscopy and biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of celiac. The results were analyzed using the SPSS 21 software package and frequency distribution. In this study, 100 children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years with seizure were studied. The average age of these patients was 16.1±1.12 years. 54% of patients had generalized tonic-clonic seizures and 46% had paroxysmal seizures. Three people with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and 2 subjects with parasitic seizures tested IgA tTg-positive. The prevalence of celiac disease among patients with seizure was 5%.   Due to accompaniment of celiac with neurological manifestations, patients with neurological symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms should be examined for celiac

Extrahepatic presentation in hepatitis is a relatively uncommon clinical condition. In particular, pancytopenia related to hepatitis is a rare phenomenon encountered in these patients. Pancytopenia can be associated with a variety of hepatitis viruses; however, its association with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is unusual. In current case series, we reported 11 children who presented with three suppressed blood lineages, including white blood cells, platelets, reticulocytes, and hemoglobin with mean values of 2.4 × 103/µL, 54.5 × 103/µL, 1%, and 9.4 g/dL. Of these 11 children, 5 were boys. The mean age was 6.5 years old. The patients presented with abdominal pain, hepatitis, and pallor. Biochemical analysis showed liver function enzymes were increased in all patients. Serologic studies for antibodies against viral components, including hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HAV, as well as cytomegalovirus (CMV) showed positive results for anti-HAV IgM. Coombs tests were negative in all the patients. Clinicians should consider extrahepatic presentations of hepatitis infections, especially HAV infection that may present with non-specific clinical features. This can help health care providers to timely and correct diagnosis and treatment of this infection.

Autoimmune hepatitis is an autoimmune liver condition followed by chronic advanced liver inflammation. Although the pathological mechanism of autoimmune diseases in various tissues of the body is still not well resolved, the autoimmune disorders occur among particular individuals. Genetic competence and environmental factors have an influence on the development of this complication by activating certain immune pathways leading to the destruction of body tissues. The coexistence of autoimmune hepatitis with diseases, such as primary biliary cirrhosis has been proven so far. However, the association of autoimmune hepatitis with other genetic diseases, including diabetes, has not been well documented.

Constipation is one of the most common gastroenterological disorders worldwide, especially in developing countries. The knowledge toward the influences of constipation on weight-gain and normal growth is inadequate among families and pediatricians. In present study, we aimed to assess weigh-gain pattern in children with constipation during six months of routine therapy.

In this analytical study, our population constituted all the children with age of 1-15 years old admitted to the Gastroenterology section of Children Hospital of Zahedan city during 2015-2017. The constipation diagnosis was based on less than three defecations per week persisting for at least one month. Demographic and growth parameters including height, weight, and BMI, and appetite were recorded for each subject following three months of routine treatment.

The mean age of patients under study was 5.67 ± 3.03 years old, and the mean of height was 108.47 ± 19.18 cm. The mean weight and BMI of the children were significantly higher at three months following treatment compared to baseline, however, there was no significant change in neither weight nor BMI regarding individual genders. Appetite improvement was recorded in 60 (57.1%) and 77 (73.3%) of the children at one and three months after treatment, respectively.

Therapeutic intervention in children with constipation can effectively improve weight-gain their pattern and appetite.

Peptic ulcer is a prevalent problem and symptoms include epigastria pain and heartburn. Tis study aimed at investigating the prevalence and causes of peptic ulcers in Iran using systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eleven Iranian papers published from 2002 to 2016 are selected using valid keywords in the SID, Goggle scholar, PubMed and Elsevier databases. Results of studies pooled using random e?ects model in meta-analysis.Te heterogeneity of the sample was checked using Q test and I2 index.
Total sample size in this study consist of 1335 individuals with peptic ulcer (121 samples per article). Te prevalence of peptic ulcers was estimated 34% (95% CI= 0.25 – 0.43). Te prevalence of peptic ulcers was 30% and 60% in woman and man respectively. Te highest environmental factor (cigarette) has been addressed in 30% (95% CI= 0.23-0.37) of patients. Te prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was estimated in 62% (95% CI= 0.49-0.75) of patients.
Te results of this study show that prevalence of peptic ulcers in Iran (34%) is higher that worldwide rate (6% to 15%). Tere was an increasing trend in the prevalence of peptic ulcer over a decade from 2002 to 2016.

Introduction Hyperbilirubinemia is a common condition in neonates. In this study, we aimed to compare association of total serum bilirubin (TSB) with sternum transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) level obtained by KJ-8000 Transcutaneous bilirubin meter (KEJIAN medical apparatus).
Materials and Methods Eighty newborns were enrolled in present prospective cross-sectional study. At the first, blood sampling was done for determination TSB, and immediately after that, TcB levels were recorded on sternum skin by KJ-8000 device. Data was analyzed by statistical software SPSS version 21.
Results The mean gestational age of the infants was 38.2±1.5 weeks. The mean of TSB level 13.52±4mg/dl, while the mean value of TcB was obtained as 13.71±3.53 mg/dl. Pearson correlation analysis showed a correlation coefficient of r= 0.770 between sternum TcB recorded by KJ-8000 device and TSB.
Conclusion Giving the good correlation between TcB and TSB levels, it is advisable to consider the transcutaneous bilirubinometery as the screening method in jaundiced infants.

The diagnosis of peritonitis as a complication of cirrhosis is an important clinical problem.
The aim of this study was to evaluate serum C-reactive protein levels as a diagnostic factor for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in child patients with liver disease.
In this study, 150 children diagnosed with liver disease and ascites upon admission to Nemazee Teaching Hospital (Shiraz, Iran) were examined. Patients were divided into spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and sterile ascetic fluid groups according to the PMN count ≥ 250/mm3 in the ascetic fluids. Routine laboratory tests were conducted and quantitative C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured for all of the patients. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of CRP was evaluated for diagnosis of SBP.
Of 150 cirrhotic patients, 109 patients presented without SBP (52.29% male, mean age: 5.02 ± 4.49 years) and 41 patients presented with SBP (51.21% male, mean age: 4.71 years). Cell counts, protein levels, albumin levels, and lactate dehydrogenize (LDH) levels of the ascetic fluid and serum samples in the SBP group were higher than the rates for those without SBP (P Our study showed that CRP is a marker with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic children.

Due to the increased prevalence of celiac disease in chromosomal anomalies and other congenital anomalies, this study was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in patients with congenital heart defects (CHD).This case-control study was done on 1002 children in two groups of CHD patients (n=402) and controls (n=600). The serum tissue transglutamianse (TTG) levels were investigated. The two groups were compared in terms of TTG IgA levels and p<0.05 was considered as the significant level.The means of serum TTG IgA levels in children with CHD and the control groups were 19.17±46.67 and 7.77±10.02 u/mL respectively (p =0.001). After ANOVA analysis a significant difference between two cyanotic and acyanotic subgroups of cases and control groups was observed (p =0.000). The follow up tukey test showed only non-significant difference between the cyanotic and acyanotic cases. The frequency of TTG IgA with the consideration of 20 u/mL as cut-off point showed a significant association with groups (X2 =28.31 and p =0.000).According to the results the serum TTG IgA levels were significantly higher in patients with CHD than normal children and screening for CD in children with CHD is recommended.

More than three million children in developing countries die from acute diarrhea annually. Rotaviruses and Adenoviruses are from the most important etiologic factors in acute gastroenteritis of children. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of rotavirus and adenovirus among children with acute diarrhoea admitted to Abuzar Hospital in Ahvaz (Southwest Iran).Patients and In a descriptive, cross-sectional study over 1 year (September 2009 to August 2010), children who were admitted to Abuzar Hospital in Ahvaz with a diagnosis of acute diarrhoea were studied. Stools were examined with ELISA kits for detection of adenoviruses and rotaviruses. Of 180 children in our study, 104 were boys (57.8%) and 76 were girls (42.2%), with a mean age of 12.86 months (1–60 months). Sixty-three (35%) had rotavirus infections (mean age, 11.57 months), and 6 (3.3%) had adenovirus infections (mean age, 8.17 months). We examined the seasonal distribution and found that 12 cases (19%) had occurred in spring, 11 (17.5%) in summer, 24 (38.1%) in autumn, and 16 (25.4%) in winter. There was no significant correlation between sex and viral agents causing acute diarrhoea (P = 0.96). This survey showed a high incidence of rotavirus infection (35%) in children with acute diarrhoea, especially in children under 2 years old. It seems that use of an appropriate vaccine could effectively prevent diarrhoea in this population

Acute gastroenteritis, which is one of the most common diseases in humans,isresponsible for many illnesses in both children and adults. Group A rotaviruses are consideredthe main agents of gastroenteritis, and these are followed by calciviruses, adenoviruses,and astroviruses. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of astrovirus and rotavirus coinfectionamong children up to 5 years of age who had gastroenteritis and who were referred toAhvaz Aboozar Hospital.Patients and A total of 180 stool specimens, which were collected from childrenwith gastroenteritis who were less than 5 years old and who were referred to Ahvaz AboozarHospital, were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods for the detection ofrotavirus infections. Detection of astroviruses in positive rotavirus stool specimens was performedby reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods. Fifty-nine of the 180 samples were positive for rotavirus infection. These positivesamples were subjected to RT-PCR to test forastrovirus. After RT-PCR with specific astrovirusprimer sets, 8 samples were positive for astrovirus as well. Therefore, 13% of rotavirus-positivesamples were also positive for astrovirus. Group A rotaviruses, in addition tocalciviruses, adenoviruses, and astroviruses,can cause acute gastroenteritis. Studies have shown that 2.5 million deaths occur every yearfrom gastroenteritis. In this study, we found that the prevalence of rotavirus infections wasvery high and that of coinfections of rotavirus and astrovirus were considerable. In order toreduce the risk of infections and to eliminate viral gastroenteritis in this zone of the region,education, vaccinations, and improved personal hygiene must be improved.