A study published in JAMA found simple remedies such as diluted apple juice may be more effective than an electrolyte solution for treating mild pediatric gastroenteritis.
Researchers enrolled 647 children presented to a hospital emergency room with symptoms of mild gastroenteritis between October 2010 and April 2015. Investigators randomly assigned children to receive half-strength apple juice or an apple-flavored electrolyte maintenance solution.
Here are five points:
1. Of 323 children who received juice and preferred fluids, 16.7 percent experienced some form of treatment failure compared with 25 percent of 324 children treated with the electrolyte solution.
2. Intravenous rehydration was required by 2.5 percent of children in the apple juice/preferred fluids group and by 9 percent in the electrolyte solution group.
3. The authors suggest that children in the apple juice group were more willing to drink their fluids than the children receiving the electrolyte solution.
4. Children older than 24 months derived the greatest benefit from the apple juice/preferred beverage intervention.
5. The authors caution that because the study was conducted in a high-income nation, the findings cannot be extrapolated to children in middle-and low-income countries, who are at higher risk for complications related to gastroenteritis.
Note: Treatment failure was defined as a composite of intravenous rehydration, hospitalization or an unscheduled physician visit, protracted symptoms, crossover or loss of 3 percent of body weight or other symptom of significant dehydration.