[Probiotics for the treating acute diarrhea and preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children]

Abstract

Probiotics are helpful in the treatment of acute diarrhea. Several systematic reviews show that the use of probiotics shortens the duration of diarrhea in one day and reduces by 59% the risk of diarrhea lasting longer than 4 days. Hospital stay is 24 hours shorter in children treated with probiotics. The benefitial effect of probiotics is species-specific; Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii are the two species with proven efficacy in the treatment of acute diarrhea. The use of probiotics reduces by 50% the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. No significant side effects were found in the clinical trials but rare cases of invasive infections have been reported in immunosuppressed children or those with indwelling central venous catheters.