[Sodium concentrations in solutions for oral rehydration in children with diarrhea]

Using the appropriate treatment for dehydration due to diarrhea, over a million deaths a year in children under five are being prevented. After analyzing the information related to the concentration of sodium in solutions used for oral rehydration, the following conclusions can be made: 1. Solutions with high glucose content, as well as hyperosmolar foods, favor the development of hypernatremia. Not so, sodium concentrations of up to 90 mmol/L, with glucose under 2.5%. 2. There are other factors which correlate with the presence of hypernatremia: abundant watery diarrhea, a good state of nutrition, under six months of age and the administration of solute loads, orally (boiled milk) as well as intravenously. 3. The WHO oral rehydration solution which contains, in mmol/L: sodium 90, glucose 111 (2%), chloride 80, potassium 20 and citrate 10, with a total osmolarity of 311 or 331 mOsm/L, is the one which more closely resembles the ideal concentration and has shown to be effective, not only in the treatment of dehydration due to diarrhea, but has also been to be useful in the prevention and maintenance of rehydration, independently from the etiology, the patient's age or the state of nutrition. 4. The use of oral serum with a sodium concentration of 90 mmol/L, reduces the natremia more slowly, therefore protecting the patient with hypernatremic dehydration from developing convulsions during treatment. This sodium concentration is also the best for cases of hyponatremic dehydration. 5. Using the recommended norms in cases of children with diarrhea, including continuing regular feeding habits and the adding of complementary liquids, no cases of hypernatremia have been recorded.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)