• Carlos Bernal, Gloria Margarita Alcaraz, and Jorge Eliécer Botero.
• Departamento de Pediatría y Puericultura, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. cabp@epm.net.co
• Biomedica. 2005 Mar 1; 25 (1): 11-21.

BackgroundThe success of oral rehydration therapy in cases of severe diarrheas have led to a need for locally based therapy preparations. A preparation consisting of a precooked plantain flour-based solution and standard rehydration electrolytes was examined for its effectiveness in treating dehydration, as well as its anti-diarrhoeal properties.MethodsA sample of 101 children, ranging in age from 1 to 48 months, was selected, which had presented diarrhea for less than one week from onset, with mild dehydration and no associated complications. Fifty-four children received the ORS/WHO standard treatment, and 47 received a solution with electrolytes similar to ORS/WHO, containing 50 g of precooked plantain flour instead of glucose (ORS/plantain).ResultsSuccessful rehydration was achieved in 94.4% of the children in the ORS/WHO group and 91.5% in the ORS/plantain group (p = 0.70). Required time for rehydration was 5.8 (SD +/- 3.0) hours in the ORS/WHO group and 6.2 (SD +/- 3.7) hours in the ORS/plantain group (p = 0.31). Stool output during rehydration was 7.5 g/kg body weight/hour (SD +/- 7.6) in the ORS/WHO group, and 7.05 g/kg/hour (SD +/- 9.4) in the ORS/plantain group (p = 0.78). No significant differences were noted in the concentrations of plasma sodium. The observation period was 22.3 hours (SD +/- 5.3) for the ORS/WHO group and 22.7 hours (SD +/- 4.7) for the ORS/plantain group. Stool output during the observation period was 5.7 g/kg/hour (SD +/- 4.7) in the ORS/WHO group and 6.3 g/kg/hour (SD +/- 7.9) in the ORS/plantain group (p = 0.67). The proportion of children requiring intravenous fluids during the first 24 hours was 11.1% in the ORS/WHO group and 8.5% in the ORS/plantain group (RR = 1.31; 95% CI 0.39-4.35).ConclusionsThe plantain flour-based solution proved effective and safe in correcting dehydration; however the antidiarrhoeal properties of ORS/plaintain were not demonstrated.

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