| | Millimoles/liter | Comment |
| Na+ | K+ | Cl– | HCO3– | Carbohydrate |
| Electrolyte losses in stools |
| Cholera stool, adult | 130 | 20 | 100 | 45 | -- | Stool sodium losses in cholera are higher than in other diarrheal illnesses. |
| Cholera stool, child | 100 | 30 | 90 | 30 | -- |
| Non-cholera stool, child (ETEC) | 50 | 35 | 25 | 20 | -- |
| Intravenous therapy |
| Lactated Ringer's solution | 130 | 4 | 109 | 28 | -- | Lactated Ringer's (LR) solution is preferred over normal saline because it contains potassium and bicarbonate. 'Dhaka solution' contains more potassium and bicarbonate than LR, and also contains dextrose. |
| Normal saline | 154 | 0 | 154 | 0 | -- |
| Cholera saline (Dhaka solution) | 133 | 13 | 154 | 48 | 140 |
| Oral rehydration therapy |
| ORS (WHO 2002) | 75 | 20 | 65 | 10 (citrate) | 75 (glucose) | WHO ORS utilizes glucose as a carbohydrate source. Rice based ORS formulation have been found in randomized trials to reduce the duration of diarrhea and stool losses in severe cholera. A homemade preparation of ORS could be used in an emergency scenario. |
| Rice based ORS (eg, CeraORS 75®) | 75 | 20 | 65 | 10 (citrate) | 27 grams rice syrup solids |
Homemade ORS:
- Half (1/2) teaspoon salt
- Six (6) teaspoons sugar
- 1 liter of clean water
| ~75 | 0 | ~75 | 0 | ~75 |
