Safety and efficacy of a rice-based oral rehydration salt solution in the treatment of diarrhea in infants less than 6 months of age.

The safety and efficacy of a rice-based oral rehydration salt (ORS) solution for the treatment of acute diarrhea in infants < 6 months of age was compared to those of a standard glucose-based ORS solution. A total of 97 infants aged 1-6 months who had a history of acute diarrhea for 120 h or less and showed signs of mild to moderate dehydration and no complications was recruited. Subjects were assigned to two treatment groups and received either standard glucose-based ORS solution or rice-based ORS solution until cessation of diarrhea. There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups with regard to the main outcome variables, including total stool output (84 [95% confidence interval (CI), 56-126] vs. 106 (95% CI, 76-148) g/kg], total ORS solution intake [171 (95% CI, 149-197) vs. 187 (95% CI, 161-218) ml/kg], or duration of diarrhea (35 +/- 31 vs 38 +/- 32 h). In addition, the fact that there was no difference between treatment groups in the presence of reducing substances in the stools suggests that rice was digested and absorbed by these infants. The results of our study support the conclusion that for infants < 6 months of age, rice-based ORS solution is safe and as efficacious as standard glucose-based ORS solution in the treatment of acute diarrhea.