Comparison of an oral rice-based electrolyte solution and a glucose-based electrolyte solution in hospitalized infants with diarrheal dehydration

This randomized trial compared the efficacy of a rice-based (50 g/L) oral rehydration solution with the standard glucose-based WHO/UNICEF solution in the treatment of 100 hospitalized infants, ages 3-18 months, with acute dehydrating diarrhea. The main outcomes examined were stool output and duration of diarrhea. Patients were placed on a “metabolic” bed so that intake and losses could be measured accurately throughout the study. Overall, 89% of patients were successfully rehy-drated orally; the rehydration failure rate was similar in the two groups and it was significantly associated with infection by specific E. coli serotypes. Stool output in the first 24 h was 11% lower in the rice group (112 versus 126 ml/kg), but this difference was not significant. Neither stool output in the second 24 h nor total stool output were different between groups. The median duration of diarrhea was 3.8 days in the rice group and 3.9 days in the glucose group (p = NS). Other (secondary) outcomes, suc