Treatment of acute diarrhea with oral rehydration solutions containing glutamine.

OBJECTIVE

In a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial we compared the efficacy of adding 90 mmol/L L-glutamine to the standard World Health Organization oral rehydration salts (WHO-ORS).

SUBJECTS

One hundred twenty male infants, > 1 month and < 1 year of age, with acute non-cholera diarrhea and dehydration were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups.

METHODS

Patients were kept in a metabolic unit where body weight, ORS, water and food intake, as well as stool, urine and vomitus output were recorded at 6-hour intervals. Laboratory evaluation, including blood gases and electrolytes, were monitored during hospitalization.

RESULTS

Diarrheal stool output, duration of diarrhea and volume of ORS required to achieve and maintain hydration was not significantly different between the treatment groups.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that a glutamine-based ORS did not provide any additional therapeutic advantage over the standard WHO-ORS during treatment of dehydration in infants with acute non-cholera diarrhea.