Clinical trial of fermented maize-based oral rehydration solution in the management of acute diarrhoea in children

Abstract

In an effort to identify appropriate fluids available in the home for oral rehydration therapy in Ghana, a study was designed to investigate the efficacy of fermented maize gruel, a popular Ghanaian traditional food, in the management of acute diarrhoea. Altogether 108 children aged between 4 and 27 months presenting with acute diarrhoea at the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital in Accra, with mild to moderately severe dehydration, were randomly assigned to treatment with either WHO/UNICEF oral rehydration solution (ORS) or fermented and unfermented maize solutions. About 35 children were admitted to each of the three treatment groups. Treatment with the rehydration fluid was maintained for 24 h. Efficacy of the various treatments, assessed in terms of fluid intake, stool output, stool frequency, weight gain and duration of diarrhoea, showed no significant variation among the three groups. The results indicate that the maize solutions were as effective as WHO/UNICEF ORS for oral rehydration therapy. However, the fermented maize was more readily accepted by the children than the unfermented solution. Because fermented maize gruel is widely consumed, inexpensive, readily available, and culturally acceptable to most communities in Ghana, it may be recommended as an appropriate home-available fluid for the management of acute diarrhoea in children at the community level.