Oral rehydration salts (WHO formula)

Tier 1 — strong evidence · Diarrhoea · Dehydration · Clinical

The WHO oral rehydration salt formula is among the most impactful medical interventions of the 20th century, credited with saving tens of millions of lives from dehydration caused by diarrhoeal disease. The 2001 Cochrane review (Kim, PMID 11406049) confirmed that the reduced-osmolarity formulation — adopted by WHO in 2004 — produces fewer unscheduled IV infusions, less stool output, and less vomiting compared to the original standard formula, with no added risk of hyponatraemia in children with non-cholera diarrhoea. The formula works by co-transporting sodium and glucose across the gut…

Dose: WHO reduced-osmolarity formula (2002): 2.6 g NaCl, 2.9 g trisodium citrate, 1.5 g KCl, 13.5 g anhydrous glucose per litre of clean water (total osmolarity 245 mOsm/L). Administer 75 mL/kg over 4 hours for mild-moderate dehydration in children.