Oral rehydration salts and solutions are products indicated to replenish accumulated water and electrolyte losses, or to maintain hydration, in people with acute vomiting or diarrhea.
Solutions are ready-to-use products containing electrolytes and water, while salts are just electrolytes that must still be diluted in water before use.
- Oral rehydration is a very important step in the treatment of vomiting and diarrhea.
- As it prevents dehydration.
- Which can have serious consequences for the body.
- Learn how to identify signs and symptoms of dehydration.
Salts and oral rehydration solutions can be found in pharmacies with the names Rehidrat, Floralyte, Hydrafix or Pedialyte, for example. These products contain sodium, potassium, chlorine, citrate, glucose and water in their composition, which are essential to prevent dehydration.
Oral rehydration solutions should only be used if recommended by a healthcare professional.
As a general rule, these diluted solutions or salts should be taken after each diarrhoeal secretion or vomiting, in the following amount:
In general, oral rehydration solutions and prepared salts should be refrigerated after opening or preparing them, within a maximum period of 24 hours.
To maintain hydration, industrialized or homemade liquids such as fruit juices, teas, soups, homemade serum and green coconut water can be used. However, it is important for the person to know that while safe and acceptablely sugar-level liquid oral moisturizers are considered, they have very low electrolyte levels in their composition, with sodium and potassium amounts less than 60 mEq and 20 mEq respectively. and are not recommended. oral rehydrators in more severe cases, as they may not be enough to prevent dehydration.
Thus, in more serious cases justified by the doctor, it is recommended to do oral rehydration with industrialized solutions whose concentrations of its constituents are within the ranges recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Além disso, o uso do soro caseiro deve ser evitado como reidratante em casos mais severos, já que a sua composição pode apresentar concentrações de solutos muito variadas, como risco de serem inadequadas por conter com mais açúcar e/ou mais sal do que o recomendado.