Rice-ORS shortens the duration of watery diarrhoeas. Observation from rural Bangladesh.

In rural Bangladesh, standard glucose based oral rehydration salt (glucose-ORS) and rice based oral rehydration salt (rice-ORS) were compared as domiciliary treatment for watery diarrhoea. Using identical supply systems, packaged glucose-ORS was provided in one area and packets of rice-ORS in another. Mothers of under-five children in each area were trained in the preparation and use of the respective ORS. A third area, where no ORS was provided from the study source, served as comparison. In two years of surveillance and follow-up about 10,000 diarrhoeal episodes were detected in each area, approximately one-third of which were watery diarrhoea. Rice-ORS alone was used to treat 74% of these episodes and glucose-ORS alone for 65% of the episodes in the respective areas. Drugs were the main treatment regimen used in the comparison area. Results of the study showed that rice-ORS treated episodes of watery diarrhoea ended with shorter duration (median duration 2 days vs. 4 days) and fewer hospitalisation (0.1% vs. 0.5%) compared to those treated with glucose-ORS. These differences were statistically significant. But, diarrhoeal mortality was unaffected by the use of either ORS under the study situation.