Related Experiment Videos
Hypo-osmolar oral rehydration salts solution in dehydrating persistent diarrhoea in children: double-blind,
1National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Calcutta, India. icmrnicd@ren.nic.in
Insights
Hypo-osmolar oral rehydration salts (ORS) significantly reduced stool output and duration of diarrhea in children with persistent diarrhea. This ORS formulation demonstrated beneficial effects on the clinical course of dehydration.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Persistent diarrhea is a major cause of dehydration in children.
- Oral rehydration salts (ORS) are crucial for managing dehydration.
- Hypo-osmolar ORS may offer advantages over standard ORS in certain pediatric conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the clinical efficacy of hypo-osmolar ORS (224 mmol/L) versus standard ORS (311 mmol/L).
- To evaluate the impact on children with persistent diarrhea at risk of dehydration.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.
- Enrolled 70 children (3-24 months) with persistent diarrhea.
- Assigned participants to either standard or hypo-osmolar ORS groups.
Main Results:
- Hypo-osmolar ORS group showed significantly less total stool output (p=0.04) and shorter diarrhea duration (p=0.002).
- Total ORS and fluid intake were also significantly lower in the hypo-osmolar group (p=0.002, p=0.01).
- Weight gain on recovery was not significantly different between groups.
Conclusions:
- Hypo-osmolar ORS demonstrates beneficial effects on the clinical course of dehydrating persistent diarrhea.
- This formulation may be a valuable therapeutic option for managing persistent diarrhea in children.
Unlabelled:
A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted to compare the clinical efficacy of hypo-osmolar oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution (224 mmol/L) and standard ORS solution (311 mmol/L) in children with persistent diarrhoea who were prone to develop dehydration. Initially, 95 children aged between 3 and 24 mo were included in the study for overnight observation. Of these, 70 children who passed stool more than 2 g/kg/h were finally enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned either standard ORS or hypo-osmolar ORS. After decoding the identity of ORS, it was observed that 37 children were in the standard ORS group and 33 in the hypo-osmolar ORS group. Clinical parameters and microbiological findings of stool samples were comparable in the two groups at the time of enrolment. Total stool output (2.5+/-1.1 vs 3.2+/-1.6 kg; p = 0.04), duration of diarrhoea (114.8+/-38.3 vs 145.4+/-40.0 h; p = 0.002), total intake of ORS (5.4+/-1.6 vs 7.8+/-1.8 l; p = 0.002) and total fluid intake (7.9+/-2.6 vs 10.0+/-4.1 l, p = 0.01) were significantly less in the hypo-osmolar ORS group compared to the standard ORS group. However, the percentage of weight gain on recovery in the hypo-osmolar group was less compared to that of the standard ORS group, though the difference was statistically insignificant. Thirty-five (95%) children in the standard ORS and 33 (100%) children in the hypo-osmolar group recovered within 10 d of initiation of therapy and modified dietary management.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that hypo-osmolar ORS has beneficial effects on the clinical course of dehydrating persistent diarrhoea.