RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL-TRIAL OF RICE VERSUS GLUCOSE ORAL REHYDRATION SOLUTIONS IN INFANTS AND YOUNG-CHILDREN WITH ACUTE WATERY DIARRHEA

A randomized clinical trial was carried out to compare a packaged read y-to-mix rice oral rehydration solution (ORS) to the standard glucose ORS for the treatment of childhood diarrhoea. Children were of either gender, aged 3-35 months, presenting with a history of watery diarrhoe a for 72 h or less. The main outcomes examined were stool output, ORS intake, duration of diarrhoea and nutritional recovery during follow-u p at 16 d of illness. Stool output in the first 24 h (106 vs 107 g kg( -1)), ORS intake in clinic (93 vs 102 ml per motion) and duration of d iarrhoea (88 h vs 81 h) were similar in the two treatment groups. The few episodes that became persistent were similar (2%) in the two group s. The weight gain during follow-up was similar in the two ORS groups.