Efficacy of a packaged rice oral rehydration solution among children with cholera and cholera-like illness

In past studies, patients with cholera and cholera-like diarrhoea treated w ith rice oral rehydration solution (ORS) had lower purging rates and a shor ter illness duration. We evaluated a new packet form of rice ORS (CeraLyte- 90) in 167 boys aged 5 to 15 y, with acute, dehydrating cholera and cholera -like diarrhoea in Bangladesh. The patients were randomized to receive eith er CeraLyte-90 (n = 85) or glucose ORS (n = 82) and were given early feedin g and early antibiotics. The efficacy of the two solutions was compared for stool output during the first 8 h, the first 24 h, and total output, durat ion of diarrhoea, hematocrit, serum electrolytes and requirement for unsche duled intravenous fluids. The clinical and laboratory characteristics of th e two groups were comparable on admission, and most of the patients had cho lera (88% and 84% in the CeraLyte and glucose groups, respectively). The me an (+/- SE) stool output was 20% less in the rice ORS group during the firs t 8 h of treatment (86.2 +/- 6.6 ml/Kg vs 108.8 +/- 7.9 ml/Kg, p < 0.05), b ut the outputs during the other time periods were similar in the two groups , although children in the rice ORS group had slightly more vomiting on day one (p < 0.05). The mean serum electrolyte concentrations in both groups o f children remained within normal range. Conclusion: The study documents the safety and, efficacy of the new, packag ed rice ORS.