Table B
 
 

Table A Summary of 13 randomised controlled trials included in the review
 

Trial	Patients	No of patients	Intervention groups	Outcomes (considered in the review)	Allocation concealment*
Bangladesh 1995a11	Children 2-15 months Randomised after 1 day of rehydration Dehydration status not known.	55	Reduced L-alanine and glucose oral rehydration solution (255 mmol/l) Intravenous infusion Standard WHO oral rehydration solution (311 mmol/l)	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion	Adequate
Bangladesh 1995b12	Children 5-24 months with diarrhoea and mild to moderate dehydration Some with cholera	60	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (249 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; vomiting	Adequate
Bangladesh 1996a13	Children 6-30 months with diarrhoea and mild to moderate dehydration	46	Reduced osmolarity sucrose oral rehydration solution (198 mmol/l after full hydrolysis -> 257 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion	Adequate
CHOICE 200114	Children 1-24 months with diarrhoea and some with severe dehydration	671	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (245 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; vomiting; unscheduled IV infusion; hyponatraemia	Adequate
Colombia 200015	Boys 1-36 months with diarrhoea and mild or moderate dehydration	140	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (245 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion; hyponatraemia	Adequate
Egypt 199416	Children 3-24 months with diarrhoea and moderate dehydration	61	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (210 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution IV infusion	Stool volume; hyponatraemia	Not described
Egypt 1996a17	Children 3-24 months with non-cholera diarrhoea and moderate dehydration	90	Reduced osmolarity maltodextrin oral rehydration solution (227 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion	Not described
Egypt 1996b18	Boys 1-24 months with diarrhoea and dehydration	190	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (245 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion; vomiting	Adequate
India 198419	Infants 0-3 months with acute non-cholera diarrhoea and dehydration	65	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (270 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution (330 mmol/l) IV Ringer's lactate therapy	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion; vomiting	Not described
India 2000a20	Children 3-24 months with acute non-cholera diarrhoea and some dehydration	70	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (224 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Stool output	Adequate
India 2000b21	Children 3 months - 5 years with acute cholera and non-cholera diarrhoea and some with severe dehydration	170	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (245 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Vomiting; unscheduled IV infusion	Adequate
Mexico 1990a22	Children 1-36 months with diarrhoea and dehydration	186	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (240 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution	Unscheduled IV infusion; vomiting; hyponatraemia	Not described
Panama 198223	Well nourished children 3 months - 2 years with diarrhoea and dehydration	94	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (251 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution IV infusion	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion; hyponatraemia	Not described
USA 198224	Well nourished children 3 months to 2 years with diarrhoea and dehydration	52	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (251 mmol/l) Standard WHO oral rehydration solution IV infusion	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion; hyponatraemia	Not described
WHO 199525	Children aged 1-24 months admitted to hospital with diarrhoea and mild to moderate dehydration	447	Reduced osmolarity glucose oral rehydration solution (224 mmol/l) Standard WHO ORS solution	Stool output; unscheduled IV infusion	Adequate

*Concealment of allocation concealment: adequate=methods given; not described=trial described as "randomised" but no methods of concealment given.
 
 

Table B Stool output among children in 13 trials included in meta-analysis
 

Trial	Outcome	Type of mean	Reduced osmolarity group			Standard WHO group
			No	Mean (95% CI or SD)		No	Mean (95% CI or SD)
WHO 199524	Stool output at 24 h (g/kg)	Geometric	221	65 (58 to 73)		218	86 (77 to 96)
Egypt 1996a17	Stool output at 24 h (g/kg)	Geometric	45	226 (186 to 281)		44	200 (161 to 249)
Egypt 1996b18	Stool output for rehydration phase (g/kg)	Geometric	94	11 (8 to 14)		96	15 (12 to 20)
Bangladesh 1995a11	Stool output at 0-24 h (ml/kg)	Arithmetic	19	156 (113.4)		19	193 (71.2)
Colombia 200015	Stool output for rehydration period (g/kg/h)	Arithmetic	71	5.6 (5.1)		69	6.3 (5.0)
Egypt 199416	Stool output at 24 h (g/kg)	Arithmetic	20	165 (52)		21	260 (114)
Bangladesh 1995b12	Stool output at 0-24 h (ml/kg)	Arithmetic	30	109 (73.8)		30	110 (2.7)
Bangladesh 1996a13	Stool output at 0-24 h (g/kg)	Arithmetic	18	80.9 (45.3)		28	117.8 (81.0)
India 198419	Stool output at 24 h (ml/kg)	Arithmetic	22	82.3 (60)		22	88.1 (58.2)
India 2000a20	Stool output during observation period (g/kg/day)	Arithmetic	33	61.0 (24.5)		37	75.0 (29.4)
Panama 198223	Stool output during first 8 h (ml/kg/h)	Arithmetic	33	4.3 (4.6)		30	4.3 (3.3)
USA 198223	Stool output during first 8 h (ml/kg/h)	Arithmetic	15	4.2 (3.9)		20	4.6 (4.0)
CHOICE 200114	Stool output at 24 h (g/kg)	Arithmetic	341	114 (73.9)		334	125 (91.4)