The study compared the safety and efficacy of an
oral rehydration salts (
ORS)
solution, containing 75 mmol/L of
sodium and
glucose each, with the standard World Health Organization (
WHO)-ORS solution in the management of ongoing fluid losses, after initial intravenous
rehydration to correct
dehydration. The study was conducted among patients aged 12-60 years hospitalized with diarrhoea due to
cholera. One hundred seventy-six patients who were hospitalized with acute diarrhoea and signs of severe
dehydration were rehydrated intravenously and then randomly assigned to receive either standard
ORS solution (311 mmol/L) or reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution (245 mmol/L). Intakes and outputs were measured every six hours until the cessation of diarrhoea. During maintenance
therapy, stool output, intake of
ORS solution, duration of diarrhoea, and the need for unscheduled administration of intravenous fluids were similar in the two treatment groups. The type of
ORS solution that the patients received did not affect the mean serum
sodium concentration at 24 hours after randomization and the relative risk of development of hyponatraemia. However, patients treated with reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution had a significantly lower volume of
vomiting and significantly higher urine output than those treated with standard
WHO-ORS solution. Reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution was as efficacious as standard
WHO-ORS solution in the management of
cholera patients. The results indicate that reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution is also as safe as standard
WHO-ORS solution. However, because of the limited sample size in the study, the results will have to be confirmed in trials, involving a larger number of patients.