UNCOOKED RICE POWDER IN ORAL REHYDRATION SOLUTION - AN ALTERNATIVE TOGLUCOSE OR COOKED RICE POWDER

Glucose-based or rice-based ORS is the standard treatment in acute deh ydrating diarrhoea. However, glucose may not be easily available in re mote villages and the rice needs to be cooked for rice-based ORS, We e mbarked on a study to examine whether uncooked rice powder could be us ed as an alternative to glucose or cooked rice powder in ORS. Initiall y, 50 adult male patients (aged 18 to 55 yr) were randomized to receiv e glucose-ORS or uncooked rice ORS, in two equal groups. Subsequently, 20 male children (aged 3 to 12 yr) were also enrolled in the study an d received either WHO-ORS or study ORS. All the adult patients and the children could be successfully rehydrated with ORS containing uncooke d rice powder. As compared to WHO-ORS, the study ORS significantly red uced stool output (6.60 +/- 1.24 vs 5.88 +/- 1.34 l), ORS intake (9.17 +/- 1.54 vs 8.24 +/- 1.69 l) and duration of diarrhoea (45.68 +/- 6.9 1 vs 41.32 +/- 6.03 h). In children also similar results were obtained . No clinical complication (e.g., vomiting, abdominal pain etc.) or ab normality in serum electrolyte concentrations was encountered either i n the adults or in the children. Uncooked rice powder containing ORS c an be considered as an alternative to glucose-based ORS or rice-based ORS.