Is rice based oral rehydration therapy effective in young infants?

June 12, 2014

Is rice based oral rehydration therapy effective in young infants?

A Islam, A M Molla, M A Ahmed, A Yameen, R Thara, A Molla, Z Issani, K Hendricks, and J D Snyder

Author information ► Copyright and License information ►

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

Rice based oral rehydration therapy (ORT) solutions have been shown to be superior to glucose oral rehydration salts (World Health Organisation (WHO) ORS) in reducing stool volume and duration of diarrhoea in children and adults. Rice based ORT has been used only sparingly in young infants, however, because of theoretical concerns about digestibility. A randomised controlled trial of rice based ORT (50 g rice and electrolytes identical to WHO ORS) and WHO ORS was carried out in 52 male infants less than 6 months old with moderately severe acute diarrhoea to evaluate efficacy and digestibility. Nineteen (70%) of 27 children who received rice based ORT and 18 (72%) of 25 children who received WHO ORS were treated successfully. The mean (SD) diarrhoeal stool output for the first 24 hours of treatment was significantly lower in the infants receiving the rice based ORT than in those receiving WHO ORS (101.0 (60.5) v 137.1 (74.6) g/kg). The stool output was also significantly less in the rice based ORT group in the second 24 hours. Infants in the rice based ORT group drank significantly less rehydration solution than infants in the WHO ORS group (mean (SD) 165.4 (77.4) v 217.9 (86.1) during the first 24 hours of treatment. There was no difference in the duration of diarrhoea between the groups. The volume of breast and formula feeding was similar in the two groups. No difference was seen in the frequency of finding reducing substances or acid pH in the stools of either group of children. The results suggest that rice based ORT is as effective as WHO ORS in infants with moderately severe diarrhoea and that rice based ORT is as well tolerated as WHO ORS in infants.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

Claeson M, Merson MH. Global progress in the control of diarrheal diseases. Pediatr Infect Dis J.1990 May;9(5):345–355. [PubMed]
Carpenter CC, Greenough WB, Pierce NF. Oral-rehydration therapy--the role of polymeric substrates.N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 17;319(20):1346–1348. [PubMed]
Molla AM, Molla A, Nath SK, Khatun M. Food-based oral rehydration salt solution for acute childhood diarrhoea. Lancet. 1989 Aug 19;2(8660):429–431. [PubMed]
Molla AM, Sarker SA, Hossain M, Molla A, Greenough WB., 3rd Rice-powder electrolyte solution as oral-therapy in diarrhoea due to Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli. Lancet. 1982 Jun 12;1(8285):1317–1319. [PubMed]
Patra FC, Mahalanabis D, Jalan KN, Sen A, Banerjee P. Is oral rice electrolyte solution superior to glucose electrolyte solution in infantile diarrhoea? Arch Dis Child. 1982 Dec;57(12):910–912.[PMC free article] [PubMed]
Mehta MN, Subramaniam S. Comparison of rice water, rice electrolyte solution, and glucose electrolyte solution in the management of infantile diarrhoea. Lancet. 1986 Apr 12;1(8485):843–845. [PubMed]
Mohan M, Sethi JS, Daral TS, Sharma M, Bhargava SK, Sachdev HP. Controlled trial of rice powder and glucose rehydration solutions as oral therapy for acute dehydrating diarrhea in infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1986 May-Jun;5(3):423–427. [PubMed]
Gore SM, Fontaine O, Pierce NF. Impact of rice based oral rehydration solution on stool output and duration of diarrhoea: meta-analysis of 13 clinical trials. BMJ. 1992 Feb 1;304(6822):287–291.[PMC free article] [PubMed]
el-Mougi M, Hegazi E, Galal O, el Akkad N, el-Abhar A, Nour N, el-Hadi Emam M, Ahmadi AR. Controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of rice powder-based oral rehydration solution on the outcome of acute diarrhea in infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1988 Jul-Aug;7(4):572–576. [PubMed]
Lebenthal E, Lee PC. Glucoamylase and disaccharidase activities in normal subjects and in patients with mucosal injury of the small intestine. J Pediatr. 1980 Sep;97(3):389–393. [PubMed]
De Vizia B, Ciccimarra F, De Cicco N, Auricchio S. Digestibility of starches in infants and children. J Pediatr. 1975 Jan;86(1):50–55. [PubMed]
AURICCHIO S, RUBINO A, MUERSET G. INTESTINAL GLYCOSIDASE ACTIVITIES IN THE HUMAN EMBRYO, FETUS, AND NEWBORN. Pediatrics. 1965 Jun;35:944–954. [PubMed]
Mobassaleh M, Montgomery RK, Biller JA, Grand RJ. Development of carbohydrate absorption in the fetus and neonate. Pediatrics. 1985 Jan;75(1 Pt 2):160–166. [PubMed]
Heitlinger LA, Lee PC, Dillon WP, Lebenthal E. Mammary amylase: a possible alternate pathway of carbohydrate digestion in infancy. Pediatr Res. 1983 Jan;17(1):15–18. [PubMed]
Lifschitz CH, Irving CS, Gopalakrishna GS, Evans K, Nichols BL. Carbohydrate malabsorption in infants with diarrhea studied with the breath hydrogen test. J Pediatr. 1983 Mar;102(3):371–375.[PubMed]
Kien CL, Liechty EA, Myerberg DZ, Mullett MD. Dietary carbohydrate assimilation in the premature infant: evidence for a nutritionally significant bacterial ecosystem in the colon. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Sep;46(3):456–460. [PubMed]
Rabbani GH, Lu RB, Horvath K, Lebenthal E. Short-chain glucose polymer and anthracene-9-carboxylic acid inhibit water and electrolyte secretion induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP in the small intestine. Gastroenterology. 1991 Oct;101(4):1046–1053. [PubMed]
Fayad IM, Hashem M, Duggan C, Refat M, Bakir M, Fontaine O, Santosham M. Comparative efficacy of rice-based and glucose-based oral rehydration salts plus early reintroduction of food. Lancet. 1993 Sep 25;342(8874):772–775. [PubMed]
Bhan MK, Ghai OP, Khoshoo V, Vasudev AS, Bhatnagar S, Arora NK, Rashmi, Stintzing G. Efficacy of mung bean (lentil) and pop rice based rehydration solutions in comparison with the standard glucose electrolyte solution. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1987 May-Jun;6(3):392–399. [PubMed]
Pizarro D, Posada G, Sandi L, Moran JR. Rice-based oral electrolyte solutions for the management of infantile diarrhea. N Engl J Med. 1991 Feb 21;324(8):517–521. [PubMed]
Hirschhorn N, Greenough WB., 3rd Progress in oral rehydration therapy. Sci Am. 1991 May;264(5):50–56. [PubMed]

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in Cera Hydration Articles

Contact

3075 Tower Road, Suite D Columbus, GA 31909

(706) 221-1542

Is rice based oral rehydration therapy effective in young infants?