Laboratory values of study patients on admission; values are mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated
| Secretory diarrhoea | Total | Osmotic diarrhoea | Total | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood | |||||
| Packed cell volume | 0.37 (0.06) | 21 | 0.36 (0.05) | 57 | NS |
| Plasma specific gravity | 1.028 (0.002) | 22 | 1.034 (0.038) | 58 | NS |
| Sodium (mmol/l) | 137.1 (6.3) | 22 | 138.1 (6.0) | 58 | NS |
| Potassium (mmol/l) | 4.0 (1.0) | 22 | 3.9 (0.8) | 57 | NS |
| Chloride (mmol/l) | 103.2 (11.6) | 22 | 104.9 (10.3) | 57 | NS |
| Total carbon dioxide (mmol/l) | 11.2 (5.2) | 22 | 11.7 (5.3) | 57 | NS |
| Serum osmolarity (mosmol/l) | 282.6 (19.4) | 22 | 285.5 (15.8) | 58 | NS |
| Urine | |||||
| Specific gravity | 1.023 (0.015) | 19 | 1.022 (0.008) | 49 | NS |
| Osmolarity (mosmol/l) | 540 (243) | 17 | 526 (218) | 48 | NS |
| Sodium (mmol/l) | 49.4 (81.4) | 17 | 26.2 (40.6) | 48 | NS |
| Potassium (mmol/l) | 37.7 (27.3) | 17 | 23.0 (22.1) | 48 | NS |
| Faeces | |||||
| No (%) with polymorphonuclear leucocytes | 5 (22) | 22 | 19 (33) | 58 | NS |
| No (%) with microscopic fat (Sudan III) | 4 (18) | 22 | 27 (47) | 57 | 0.0173 |
| Sodium (mmol/l) | 67.4 (21.6) | 22 | 3.9 (14.8) | 58 | 0.0001 |
| Potassium (mmol/l) | 44.4 (19.9) | 22 | 31.8 (10.2) | 58 | 0.0068 |
| Osmolarity (mosmol/l) | 318 (80) | 20 | 361 (123) | 58 | NS |
| No (%) with glucose strip | |||||
| > + | 9 (41) | 22 | 33 (58) | 58 | NS |
| > ++ | 2 (9) | 22 | 18 (31) | 58 | 0.0393 |
| No (%) with Benedict’s test without hydrolysis | |||||
| > + | 12 (55) | 22 | 42 (72) | 58 | NS |
| > ++ | 4 (18) | 22 | 26 (45) | 58 | 0.0279 |
| No (%) with Benedict’s test with hydrolysis | |||||
| > + | 12 (55) | 22 | 46 (81) | 57 | 0.0183 |
| > ++ | 6 (27) | 22 | 41 (72) | 57 | 0.0003 |
| No (%) with pH | |||||
| < 5.5 | 8 (38) | 21 | 29 (50) | 58 | NS |
| < 6 | 12 (57) | 21 | 46 (79) | 58 | 0.0488 |