Efficacy of probiotics in outcome of acute watery diarrhea in children aged 06 months to 12 years admitted to the pediatrics department of Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Swabi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59736/IJP.23.03.958Keywords:
Diarrheal Pathogens, Pediatric Diarrhea, Probiotics, Therapeutic EffectivenessAbstract
Background: Acute watery diarrhea (AWD) affecting children contribute to high rates of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing nations. Use of probiotics, especially Lactobacillus acidophilus, has been suggested as an additional therapeutic option in the management of childhood diarrhea. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of probiotics in treating diarrhea in children aged 06 months to 2 years.
Methods: A total of 552 children, aged between 6 months and 12 years, who were diagnosed with severe watery diarrhea, participated in this study. Out of these, 300 children took daily doses of L. acidophilus for five consecutive days, while the remaining 252 children were given a placebo. Initial stool specimens were obtained from all participants to detect the presence of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Ascaris lumbricoides. The primary outcomes assessed included the duration of diarrhea, hospital stay length, stool consistency, frequency of bowel movements, electrolyte imbalances, and the time taken for symptom resolution. Statistical analysis was performed using t-tests for continuous variables, chi-square tests for categorical variables, and regression models to examine factors contributing to positive clinical outcomes.
Results: Children who received probiotics showed a marked improvement in duration of diarrhea (42.50 ± 11.80 hours vs. 58.40 ± 27.50 hours) and reduced hospital stay (66.10 ± 9.80 hours vs. 81.50 ± 27.00 hours), with p-values of < 0.001 and 0.008, respectively. They also showed quicker improvements in bowel movement frequency and stool consistency, along with fewer electrolyte disturbances (p < 0.001). The clinical efficacy of the probiotic was 91.0%, significantly higher than the control group's 79.9% (p = 0.021).
Conclusion: Our findings strongly advocate for the effectiveness of probiotics in treating diarrhea in children.
References
Hossain MS, Ullah AH, Hossain MB: Determinants of Acute Watery Diarrhea in Children Under Five Years: A Comprehensive Analysis. Saudi J Med 2024; 9(10):448-54.
Lanata CF, Fischer-Walker CL, Olascoaga AC, Torres CX, Aryee MJ, Black RE, Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group of the World Health Organization and UNICEF: Global causes of diarrheal disease mortality in children < 5 years of age: a systematic review. PLoS One 2013 Sep 4; 8(9):e72788.
Sadiq A, Bokhari H, Noreen Z, Asghar RM, Bostan N: Magnitude of Rotavirus A and Campylobacter jejuni infections in children with diarrhea in Twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. BMC Infect Dis 2019 Dec; 19:1-0.
Alharbi AA, Alalawi FM, Dabash SH, Alotaibi MD, Alsadah AM, Alshammari MN, Alshamry AN, Alosaimi MA, Hemili OM, Messawa HY, Albesher SA: Electrolyte Imbalances and Dehydration in Children: Biochemical Insights and Nursing Interventions in ICU Settings-An Updated Review. J Med Chem Sci 2024 Nov 1; 7(11):1708-21.
Guarino A, Aguilar J, Berkley J, Broekaert I, Vazquez-Frias R, Holtz L, Vecchio AL, Meskini T, Moore S, Medina JF, Sandhu B: Acute gastroenteritis in children of the world: what needs to be done?. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2020 May 1; 70(5):694-701.
Chau TT, Chau NN, Le NT, Vinh PV, To NT, Ngoc NM, Tuan HM, Ngoc TL, Kolader ME, Farrar JJ, Wolbers M: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Lactobacillus acidophilus for the treatment of acute watery diarrhea in Vietnamese children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2018 Jan 1; 37(1):35-42.
Cheng H, Ma Y, Liu X, Tian C, Zhong X, Zhao L: A systematic review and meta-analysis: Lactobacillus acidophilus for treating acute gastroenteritis in children. Nutrients 2022 Feb 6; 14(3):682.
Wei Q, Song LY, Rao R, Yang HW, Wen YP, Lv L, Wang L: The Impact of Combined Therapy with Lactobacillus acidophilus and Montmorillonite Powder on the Inflammatory Response in Pediatric Rotavirus Enteritis. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2024; 1-3.
Haidry B, Ahmed N, Saddique T, Abbasi M, Yaqoob M, Rasheed N: Clinical efficacy of use of probiotics in children with acute watery Diarrhea. Ann PIMS Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Med Univ 2024 May 7; 20(2):186-91.
Bhat S, Shreekrishna GN, Savio CD: Efficacy of probiotics in acute diarrhoea in children. Int J Contemp Pediatr 2018 Jul; 5(4):1646-50.
Raza W, Mahmood T, Atta L, Hassan S, Ullah S, Ali S, Muhammad M, Ahmad N: Comparative Effectiveness of Zinc Supplementation Combined with Probiotic Therapy Versus Zinc Alone in Reducing Acute Diarrhea Duration, Severity, and Recurrence Rates in Pediatric Populations: A Meta-Analysis. Indus J Biosci Res 2024 Nov 30; 2(02):681-9.
Awais M, Alam S, Wali N, Mehmood R, Nasir U, Waheed A: Comparison of the Clinical Efficacy of Bacteria-Based Probiotics to Fungi-Based Probiotics. J Sharif Med Dental Coll Lahore 2021; 7(1):21-4.
Getahun W, Adane M: Prevalence of acute diarrhea and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) associated factors among children under five in Woldia Town, Amhara Region, northeastern Ethiopia. BMC Pediatr 2021 May 11; 21(1):227.
Suresh KP: An overview of randomization techniques: An unbiased assessment of outcome in clinical research. J Hum Reprod Sci 2011 Jan 1; 4(1):8-11.
Minaz A, Alam R, Jiwani U, Vadsaria K, Khan A, Ishaq A, Sultan S, Mohsin M, Sharif A, Nisar YB, Das JK: Efficacy of probiotics for treatment of acute or persistent diarrhoea in children from birth till 10 years: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Health 2024 Dec 20; 14:04236.
Shah SA, Naz S, Jabeen F, Rashid MA, Rahman A, Khan Z: Comparison of Bacterial Probiotics (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) Versus Fungal Probiotics (Saccharomyces) in Treating Acute Diarrhea in Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2024; 36(3):537-41.
Huang R, Xing HY, Liu HJ, Chen ZF, Tang BB: Efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Transl Pediatr 2021 Dec; 10(12):3248.
Canani RB, Cirillo P, Terrin G, Cesarano L, Spagnuolo MI, De Vincenzo A, Albano F, Passariello A, De Marco G, Manguso F, Guarino A: Probiotics for treatment of acute diarrhoea in children: randomised clinical trial of five different preparations. BMJ 2007 Aug 16; 335(7615):340.
Kelesidis T, Pothoulakis C: Efficacy and safety of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii for the prevention and therapy of gastrointestinal disorders. Ther Adv Gastroenterol 2012 Mar; 5(2):111-25.
Gaon D, Garcia HU, Winter LU, Rodríguez NO, Quintás R, González SN, Oliver GU: Effect of Lactobacillus strains and Saccharomyces boulardii on persistent diarrhea in children. Medicina (B Aires) 2003 Aug; 63(4):293-8.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Zabih Ullah, Haji Gul, Bibi Asma, Inayatullah, Muhammad Rizwan, Sijad Ur Rehman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Readers may “Share-copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format” and “Adapt-remix, transform, and build upon the material”. The readers must give appropriate credit to the source of the material and indicate if changes were made to the material. Readers may not use the material for commercial purpose. The readers may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
