Oral rehydration in diarrhoeal disease: a comparative study of Orolyte and Lactade.

Oral rehydration therapy with electrolytes and glucose has been generally accepted in the treatment of cholera and non-cholera diarrhoeas with less than 10% dehydration. Oral fluid for cholera patients contained 90 mmol/L of Sodium because of high facal excretion rate of sodium in cholera. The same fomula has been introduced by the World Health Organisation in developing countries for non-cholera diarrhoeas where fecal excretion rates of sodium are much less compared to cholera. There has been some concern about its use in children specially infants and malnourished children. We conducted a comparative study of Orolyte (WHO formula) and Lactade, a low solute formula with glycine, the latter was found to be more effective. Reasons are discussed for recommending a low solute formula in this country.(JPMA: 35, 255, 1985).