| Mr. Ibrahem/Oral rehydration therapy | |
|---|---|
 A person with cholera drinking oral rehydration solution (ORS) | |
| Other names | Oral rehydration solution (ORS), oral rehydration salts (ORS), glucose-salt solution |
| Specialty | Pediatrics |
| Complications | Vomiting, high blood sodium, high blood potassium[1] |
| MeSH | D005440 |
| eMedicine | 906999-treatment |
Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration, especially that due to diarrhea.[1] It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium.[1] Oral rehydration therapy can also be given by a nasogastric tube.[1] Therapy should routinely include the use of zinc supplements.[1] Use of oral rehydration therapy has been estimated to decrease the risk of death from diarrhea by up to 93%.[3]
Side effects may include vomiting, high blood sodium, or high blood potassium.[1] If vomiting occurs, it is recommended that use be paused for 10 minutes and then gradually restarted.[1] The recommended formulation includes sodium chloride, sodium citrate, potassium chloride, and glucose.[1] Glucose may be replaced by sucrose and sodium citrate may be replaced by sodium bicarbonate, if not available.[1] It works as glucose increases the uptake of sodium and thus water by the intestines.[4] A number of other formulations are also available including versions that can be made at home.[4][3] However, the use of homemade solutions has not been well studied.[3]
Oral rehydration therapy was developed in the 1940s, but did not come into common use until the 1970s.[5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[6] The wholesale cost in the developing world of a package to mix with a liter of water is US$0.03 to 0.20.[2] Globally as of 2015 oral rehydration therapy is used by 41% of children with diarrhea.[7] This use has played an important role in reducing the number of deaths in children under the age of five.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j World Health Organization (2009). Stuart MC, Kouimtzi M, Hill SR (eds.). WHO Model Formulary 2008. World Health Organization (WHO). pp. 349–351. hdl:10665/44053. ISBN 9789241547659.
- ^ a b "Oral Rehydration Salts". International Drug Price Indicator Guide. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Munos, MK; Walker, CL; Black, RE (April 2010). "The effect of oral rehydration solution and recommended home fluids on diarrhoea mortality". International Journal of Epidemiology. 39 Suppl 1: i75–87. doi:10.1093/ije/dyq025. PMC 2845864. PMID 20348131.
- ^ a b Binder, HJ; Brown, I; Ramakrishna, BS; Young, GP (March 2014). "Oral rehydration therapy in the second decade of the twenty-first century". Current Gastroenterology Reports. 16 (3): 376. doi:10.1007/s11894-014-0376-2. PMC 3950600. PMID 24562469.
- ^ Selendy, Janine M. H. (2011). Water and Sanitation Related Diseases and the Environment: Challenges, Interventions and Preventive Measures. John Wiley & Sons. p. 60. ISBN 9781118148600. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017.
- ^ World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
- ^ a b The State of the World's Children 2016 A fair chance for every child (PDF). UNICEF. June 2016. pp. 117, 129. ISBN 978-92-806-4838-6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2017.