PROBIOTIC MIXTURE FOR ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS IN CHILDREN
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute diarrhea is a major public health problem in Thai children. Currently, treatment with probiotic such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifido bacterium bifidum is common. However, studies on the effectiveness of probiotics in Thailand are limited.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of probiotic mixture in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children with standard treatment
Methods: We conducted randomized controlled trial involving children 1 months to 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis who presented to Chiang Khong Crown Prince Hospital outpatient departments. The sample was divided into two groups. The experimental group was treated with additional a 2-day course of 1 tablet of a probiotic mixture after meal three times a day with standard treatment (ORS and supportive treatment) and control group was treated with standard treatment only. Follow-up surveys were conducted daily after starting treatment until full recovery. The primary outcomes was the duration of diarrhea after starting treatment until full recovery. The secondary outcome was potential side effects of probiotic mixture. Data were analyzed by t-test, rank sum test, exact probability test, Log-rank test. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
RESULTS: Participants in each group were 33, totaling 66 participants. There was significantly different in the duration of diarrhea after starting treatment until full recovery between the experimental and the standard treatment group (46.36±20.61 V.S. 94.06±50.69 hours; p<0.001). And, no side effect found in the probiotic mixture group.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECCOMENTATIONS:
Treatment acute gastroenteritis in patients aged 1 month to 5 years with multi-strain probiotics along combined with standard therapy can reduce the duration of diarrhea more than only standard treatment and it was safety. However, further studies should be conducted, for example in larger groups of patients, older patients or diarrhea caused by bacterial infection and the use of other strains of probiotics such as Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus casei etc. to determine their effectiveness and as a treatment option.
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References
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