A comparative study of three types of ORS in the management of diarrheal dehydration

Abstract

Seventy five infants and children aged 6 months to 4 years admitted to Pediatrics services of J.N. Medical College, A.M.U., Aligarh with acute watery diarrhea with or without vomitings and associated with varying degree of dehydration were studied. They were randomly divided into three groups— (A, B, C) and were rehydrated with WHO standard ORS, super ORS and Rice water electrolytes solution. These children were subjected to investigations like hemogram, hematocrit, blood urea, blood glucose, plasma electrolytes, recorded on admission and repeated at 6 hours, 24 hours and at the time of discharge. The observation emerging out of this study include lower rate of purging, earlier control of vomitings, greater weight gain, earlier urination and consistently lower requirement of ORS and shorter time required for initial rehydration associated with early normally in laboratory parameters in dehydrated children receiving either super ORS or rice water electrolyte solution as compared to those on standard ORS. The difference in all these parameters was statistically significant.