Walker-Smith J A
Academic Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Drugs. 1988;36 Suppl 4:61-4. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198800364-00009.
Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) has now been used successfully in many countries. The best indication of its effectiveness is a decrease in mortality, and this has been demonstrated in a number of studies in developing communities. In developed communities where mortality from acute diarrhoea is already low, ORT has been underutilised. Here, the general practitioner has a key role, and it is vitally important to appreciate that ORT is first-line treatment, with no place for drug therapy in most cases.
