title: Oral rehydration with a plantain flour-based solution in children dehydrated by acute diarrhea: a clinical trial.
abstract: A clinical trial was conducted in order to prove the efficacy of a solution containing 50 g/l of plantain flour and 3.5 g/l of sodium chloride (NaCl) for the rehydration of children with acute diarrheal diseases. 121 children were given WHO-ORS (Group A) and 117 a plantain flour-based solution (Group B). Rehydration was successful in 85.9% in Group A and 88.0% in Group B (p = 0.634). Rehydration was completed in 5.28 h (SD 1.99) in Group A and in 4.88 h (SD 2.11) in Group B (p = 0.132). The average solution intake for rehydration was 24.56 ml/kg/h (SD 10.12) in Group A and 21.17 ml/kg/h (SD 9.35) in Group B (p = 0.00782). The mean stool output during rehydration was 8.45 g/kg/h (SD 9.72) in Group A and 4.69 g/kg/h (SD 4.98) in Group B (p = 0.00053). Decrease in blood levels of sodium and potassium occurred in some children in group B. The plantain flour-based solution proved effective for the treatment of dehydration due to acute diarrheal diseases and should be considered as an alternative when standard WHO-ORS is not available.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Alcaráz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005433:Flour; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015532:Rehydration Solutions; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019862:Zingiberales
chemical_list: D015532:Rehydration Solutions