Abstract

In a controlled trial of oral rehydration therapy, a rice-based electrolyte solution was evaluated in a group (n=26) of infants and young children aged between 3 months and 5 years with moderate to severe dehydration owing to acute diarrhoea, and the results were compared with a matched control group (n=26) receiving WHO recommended glucose electrolyte solution. The former was found to be more effective than the latter as shown by an appreciably lower rate of stool output, a shorter duration of diarrhoea, and a smaller intake of rehydration fluid.