Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 147 enrolled children
| Variable | WHO-ORS (n=74) | L-glutamine ORS (n=73) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age (months) (minimum-maximum) | 11 (1–39) | 10 (2–34) | 0.63∗ |
| Male gender, no. (%) | 47 (63.5) | 43 (58.9) | 0.56† |
| Nutritional status, no. (%) | |||
| First-grade malnutrition | 41 (55.4) | 37 (50.6) | 0.16† |
| Second-grade malnutrition | 13 (17.6) | 9 (12.3) | |
| Percentage of dehydration‡, median (minimum-maximum) | 4.3 (1–10.8) | 4.2 (2–10.2) | 0.59∗ |
| Time (hours) with diarrhoea before enrollment, median (minimum-maximum) | 37 (5–120) | 47 (10–120) | 0.16∗ |
| Total number of stools 24 hours before enrollment, median (minimum-maximum) | 8 (1–27) | 10 (2–30) | 0.053∗ |
| Total number of vomits 24 hours before enrollment, median (minimum-maximum) | 6 (0–23) | 6 (0–28) | 0.96∗ |
| Fever ≥38.0, no. (%) | 40 (56.8) | 47 (62.3) | 0.20† |
| Antibiotic use, no. (%) | 42 (56.8) | 44 (60.3) | 0.66† |
| Anti-diarrhoeic use, no. (%) | 18 (24.3) | 11 (15.0) | 0.16† |
| Use of hyperosmolar fluid, no. (%) | 8 (10.8) | 13 (17.8) | 0.22† |
| Reporting rotavirus in faeces, no. (%) | 35 (47.3) | 27 (37.0) | 0.20† |
| Salmonella group D | 1 | 1 | 0.99† |
| Campylobacter jejuni | 0 | 2 | 0.15† |
| Pseudomonas aureuginosa | 1 | 1 | 0.99† |
| Shigella sonnei | 0 | 1 | 0.31† |
| Serum sodium level, median (mEq/L) (minimum-maximum) | 140 (116–158) | 138 (116–158) | 0.24∗ |
| Serum glucose level, median (mg/dL) (minimum-maximum) | 92 (42–155) | 90 (59–180) | 0.59∗ |
| Urinary gravity, median (minimum-maximum) | 1,028 (1,025–1,030) | 1,027 (1,024–1,030) | 0.41∗ |
∗ Mann-Whitney U test;
† χ2 test;
‡ Weight at enrollment × 100/weight at end of rehydration ORS=Oral rehydration solution; WHO=World Health Organization