Rice-powder salt solution in the treatment of acute diarrhea in young children.

ABSTRACT

Dehydration is the most common cause of death in diarrheal patients. Early oral rehydration therapy (ORT) can prevent or reverse dehydration from diarrhea in almost almost all cases. Shortages of oral rehydration salt (ORS) packets in certain areas remain a major problem of the Diarrheal Diseases Control Program of Thailand. To find an effective solution that can be prepared locally, a randomized trial of oral rehydration solutions was conducted. A rice-powder salt solution containing rice-power 30 g/l and salt 3.5 g/l (RPSS) was evaluated in a group (n = 23) of infants and young children aged between 4 months and 5 years with mild or moderate dehydration from acute watery diarrhea, and the results were compared with those who received WHO recommended glucose electrolyte solution (WHO-ORS) (n = 21), and glycine supplemented WHO-ORS (G-ORS) (n = 20). The efficacies of WHO ORS and G-ORS were found to be similar. The RPSS was found to be more effective than WHO-ORS and G-ORS as shown by a significantly lower stool frequency, lower rate of stool output, a significantly shorter duration of diarrhea, and a smaller intake of rehydration fluid. Promotion of the effective rice-salt solution could increase early implementation of ORT in many rural communities.