Oral Electrolytes Use in Pediatric Non-Diarrheal Illnesses: A Retrospective, Indian Real-world Study

A BSTRACT Introduction: Dehydration due to non-diarrheal illnesses is often underrecognized. Limited literature is available on the use of oral electrolytes in non-diarrheal conditions in pediatric patients. This study was conducted to understand the recommendations of oral electrolytes and ready-to-drink (RTD) solutions (ORSL ® , ORSL Plus ® , and ORL Rehydrate ® ) for non-diarrheal conditions. The effect of oral electrolytes on symptom resolution and recovery from fever and respiratory tract infection (RTI) was evaluated. Methodology: Anonymized data of patients on the HealthPlix electronic medical records (EMR) database meeting the eligibility criteria was retrieved and analyzed. Results: RTD electrolytes were prescribed to 31.44% of the patients prescribed oral electrolytes (55,931). ORSL ® was prescribed to the highest proportion of patients (48.60%). ORSL Plus ® was most recommended among patients with dehydration (62% of those recommended RTDs) and dengue (40% of patients on RTDs). Body ache, vomiting, fatigue, nausea, and giddiness were the most common symptoms reported by patients prescribed oral electrolytes. ORSL ® was the most prescribed in cases of body aches and vomiting (16% and 19% of the patients, respectively, on RTDs). ORSL ® , ORSL Plus ® , and ORSL Rehydrate ® were prescribed for 1–3 days to most of the patients. ORSL ® and ORSL Plus ® were prescribed to 37.2% and 54.5% of the patients, respectively, with thrice-a-day (TID) schedule while ORSL Plus ® was majorly prescribed for a four-times-a-day (QID) schedule. The proportion of patients resolved RTIs was higher for the patients prescribed with oral electrolytes (57.35%) in comparison with the ones not prescribed (48.57%). The duration of recovery for patients with fever was shorter in the case of oral electrolyte arm suggesting faster recovery. Conclusion: There is a need to create awareness around the advantages of prescribing oral RTD fluid electrolytes and energy formulations in non-diarrheal conditions. This has the potential to shorten the duration of sickness and speed up recovery.