Effect of adding tyndallized probiotics to the World Health Organization standard therapy for acute diarrhea in children

Abstract

Background Diarrhea is the major cause of morbidity and mortality
in children. Probiotics can decrease the frequency and duration
of diarrhea. There are two types of probiotics, live and tyndallized.
Tyndallized probiotics have been stetilized, so they are unable to produce
active metabolites, but may have an effect on human immunity.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of supplementing WHO
standard therapy with tyndallized probiotics in children with
acute, watery diarrhea.
Methods We performed a randomized, single-blind, controlled
trial in children aged 3-60 months who were diagnosed with acute,
watery diarrhea at Gunungsitoh General Hospital, Nias, North
Sumatera. Subjects were collected by consecutive sampling by
way of parent interviews.
Results One hundred subjects with acute, watery diarrhea were
divided into 2 groups of 50. One group was treated with only
WHO standard therapy for acute, watery diarrhea. The other
group was treated by WHO standard therapy with the addition
of tyndallized probiotics. There were no significant differences in
basic characteristics between the two groups. Diarrheal duration
for the group receiving WHO standard therapy only was 3.95 ±
1.3 days, while that of the group receiving both WHO standard
therapy and tyndallized probiotics was 4.6 ± 2.3 days (P > 0.05).
Diarrheal frequency on the fifth day in the WHO standard therapy
group was 1.90 ± 0.99 times per day, while that of the tyndalhzed
probiotic group was 1.56 ± 0.67 times per day (P > 0.05).
Conclusion There were no significant differences between WHO
standard therapy alone and WHO standard therapy with the addition
of tyndallized probiotics for decreasing the duration and frequency of
diarrhea in children. [Paediatr lndones. 2012;52:91-4].