title: Clinical trial of clonidine hydrochloride as an antisecretory agent in cholera.
abstract: Clonidine hydrochloride (an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist) was tested for antisecretory effects in patients with cholera in a randomized controlled trial. Nineteen adults with diarrhea due to Vibrio cholerae were treated with clonidine (0.9 mg/24 h orally for 72 h) and 18 served as controls. During the first 24 h of treatment and for 24 h afterwards, the mean +/- SD concentrations of sodium (in millimoles per liter) in the stools of clonidine-treated patients were 120.6 +/- 10.9 and 112.3 +/- 11.9, which were significantly lower than 135.5 +/- 17.1 and 125.0 +/- 16.4 in the controls (p less than 0.01). Stool chloride concentrations (in millimoles per liter) were also significantly less in the clonidine group during the same periods: 82.1 +/- 16.8 and 62.4 +/- 19.4 vs. 92.1 +/- 18.3 and 78.0 +/- 23.0, respectively (p less than 0.05). Concentrations of potassium but not bicarbonate were also significantly reduced in the stools of clonidine-treated patients (p less than 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the mean +/- SD stool volumes (in liters) between the clonidine and the control group in any of the six 12-h periods after treatment or in the cumulative volumes in 72 h (24.2 +/- 10.6 and 22.9 +/- 8.3, respectively). We conclude that clonidine causes modest reduction of stool electrolyte loss but does not significantly reduce fecal fluid loss in patients with cholera.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Patte
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Abud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000930:Antidiarrheals; D002771:Cholera / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000930:Antidiarrheals; D003000:Clonidine