[Epidemiological characteristics in gastroenteritis diagnosis before and during the pandemic].

Background: The end of the global sanitary emergency derived from the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by WHO in May 2022. In this sanitary emergency, massive campaigns promoting hygiene and social distancing measures were displayed, which may have not only helped to ease the spread of respiratory infections, but also of gastroenteritis of presumably infectious origin (GPIO).

Objectives: To estimate the change in prevalence of GPIO in the first level of attention between a pre-pandemic period and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material And Methods: Retrospective, observational, cross-sectional, and comparative study which included all patients who looked for medical attention in a first-level center in 2 periods: pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and during pandemic (2020-2021). Data was retrieved from electronic medical records. It was carried out a descriptive analysis with frequencies and percentages, and Fisher's exact test was used to calculate the prevalence of GPIO.

Results: During the pre-pandemic a total of 620,164 consultations occurred and 497,750 in the pandemic period. Prevalence of GPIO in the first period was 1.32% (n = 8207) and 0.42% (n = 2132) in the second period (p < 0.001). No significant changes in symptomatology were observed, except for change in consistency in feces (p = 0.001) and vomiting (p = 0.01). Hand hygiene education was reported in 5.2% of the cases in the first period, and in 19.2% in the second period.

Conclusion: There was a significant reduction in the prevalence of GPIO during the pandemic period, probably due to the massive hygienic measures displayed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.