National Science and Technology Workers' Day | Children's diarrhea, 3 soul-searching questions about oral rehydration salts

May 29th of every year is World Intestinal Health Day. The human intestine is an important organ for absorbing nutrients and excreting waste and toxins. More than 80% of the toxins in the human body are excreted from the intestine, which can be called the largest "waste disposal plant" in the human body. At the same time, the intestine also undertakes most of the body's immune work and is the "second brain" of the human body. Infants and young children are more susceptible to intestinal diseases due to their young age and fragile intestines, and the most common one is diarrhea.

Pediatric diarrhea is a group of digestive tract syndromes caused by multiple pathogens and factors, characterized by increased frequency of bowel movements and changes in stool characteristics. It is one of the most common diseases in pediatric outpatient clinics. Because most childhood diarrhea is caused by viruses, pediatricians usually do not choose antibiotics when treating childhood diarrhea. The correct treatment is to choose oral rehydration salts.

Oral rehydration salts may sound simple, but parents have a lot of questions when using them. Every day, many parents come to the pharmacy service clinic to consult about the use of oral rehydration salts. Don't worry, we will explain everything at once today!

01 Isn’t oral rehydration salt just sugar water and salt water? You can make it yourself with salt and sugar at home, right?

Oral rehydration salts are not simply sugar water and salt water. They contain sodium chloride, sodium citrate, potassium chloride and glucose, and these ingredients are mixed in a certain proportion. The concentration of the solution adjusted according to this ratio can protect the intestinal water from loss and can also replenish water and electrolytes. However, the "rehydration salts" that you make yourself not only fail to achieve the accurate ratio and rehydration needs, but may also aggravate diarrhea. Therefore, treating illnesses is not something that everyone can do, and you must listen to professional medical staff.

02 My baby doesn’t cooperate when taking medicine. Is it okay to add a little water and let him drink it all at once?

Feeding medicine is a long-standing problem. Many parents jokingly say that feeding medicine to babies is like "catching a pig", which is exhausting and annoying. Some parents have an idea: add less water so that the baby can drink it as soon as possible, or add more water to make the taste lighter. After all, it is to replenish electrolytes, so just drink it, right?

The answer is: No! The correct way to use oral rehydration salts is: add a whole pack of rehydration salts to the measuring cup that comes with the medicine, add 250mL of warm water at one time, stir to completely dissolve it, and take it in several doses within one day. The solution prepared in this way has the best therapeutic effect. It is not only beneficial to children's intestines, but also can regulate the body's water and electrolyte absorption balance and reduce the number of diarrhea. If you artificially add less or more water, it will affect the concentration of oral rehydration salts and greatly reduce the therapeutic effect. Therefore, do not change the amount of water added casually.

03 Oral rehydration salts taste bad, can they be added to milk or juice?

Unfortunately, although the oral rehydration salts in China have replaced sodium bicarbonate with sodium citrate, and the taste has been upgraded, it still tastes bad for children. Even so, it is not recommended to add milk or juice to oral rehydration salts, because this will change the osmotic pressure and electrolyte content of the solution, affect the rehydration effect, and it is more likely to breed bacteria, causing the drug to deteriorate.

Infants and young children have an imperfect digestive system, and the secretion of gastric acid and digestive enzymes is relatively small, which can easily lead to incomplete digestion of food in the gastrointestinal tract. They have poor adaptability to external changes and may suffer from digestive dysfunction if they catch a little cold. Therefore, parents must pay more attention to their baby's gastrointestinal health, ensure regular and balanced diet, eat less snacks, and drink more warm water.

Author: Wu Hao and Zhang Xiuhong, Chief Pharmacists of Women and Children's Hospital of Dandong Central Hospital

Review expert: Che Jingyu, director and pharmacist of the Women and Children’s Hospital of Dandong Central Hospital

Ren Yanli, Chief Pharmacist of the Gynecology and Pediatrics Group of the Henan Pharmaceutical Association Hospital