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Introduction: Rotavirus (RV) disease poses a serious epidemiological and clinical problem and concerns both enteral and parenteral location, being the cause of community or nosocomially acquired infections. Analysis of the clinical data of rotavirus infection and its treatment in hospitalized children on the basis of the own material of the clinic. Material and methods: Retrospective investigation of 88 children aged 9 days-13 years with the diagnosed rotavirus infection (RV) hospitalized at the Department of Paediatric Propaedeutics and Bone Metabolic Diseases in Lodz in 2001-2006. Results: In above half of children (54.5%) the infection occurred during the hospitalization because of the different cause (hospital-acquired diarrhoea). The average time of the hospital stay was 11 days (for children with community-acquired acute diarrhoea – 5.8 days and with the nosocomial infection -15.3 days). The vomiting and diarrhoea were the most frequent symptoms of the infection (35.2%); the fever was presented additionally in one-third of patients. Symptomatic convulsions were also observed in 2 children. The concomitant infection of respiratory tract was diagnosed in 50 children (57%). In 50% of the patients whose transaminase serum levels were evaluated, increased values were observed and varied from 51 to 156 IU. The initial therapy in nearly three-quarters of children was connected with the antibiotic treatment that was withdrawn (in 14 children with the community-acquired acute diarrhoea) because of lack of inflammation features of the respiratory tract and after the confirmation of the viral aetiology of diarrhoea. Conclusions: Rotavirus infections remain a great problem at paediatric wards. (Clin Exp Med Lett 2008; 49(3): 149-153)

Keywords: rotaviruses, children