PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of probiotics and zinc supplements on the mean duration and frequency of acute diarrhea in children aged 6 months to 2 years. METHODS: In this clinical trial of infants aged between 6 months and 2 years, eligible patients were divided into 3 groups: Zinc Receiving Group (ZRG), Probiotic Receiving Group (PRG), and a control group receiving supportive care alone. The frequency of diarrhea was evaluated in the test groups during the first 24 hours and 48–72 hours, along with the duration of hospitalization and diarrhea persistence for 3–7 days. RESULTS: Diarrhea persisted for until the third day of admission in 100% of the infants in PRG compared with only 76.1% in ZRG. The relative risk of diarrhea persistence in the PRG was 1.31 times more than in ZRG until the third day. Also, 80% of diarrhea cases in the PRG persisted until the fourth day of admission, compared with 47.8% in the ZRG group, and this value was significant. The relative incidence of diarrhea persistence in the PRG was 36.4 times greater than in the ZRG until the day 4. Also, the percentage of post-treatment complications was 35.5% in the PRG and 2.6% in the ZRG, which was significant. CONCLUSION: In our study, the effectiveness of zinc at a dose of 20 mg was higher than that of probiotics. The complications associated with zinc supplementation were lower than those of probiotics.
Child ; Diarrhea ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Pediatrics ; Probiotics ; Zinc

PURPOSE: Jaundice accounts for most hospital admissions in the neonatal period. Nowadays, in addition to phototherapy, other auxiliary methods are used to reduce jaundice and the length of hospitalization. This study aimed to investigate the effect of probiotics on the treatment of hyper-bilirubinemia in full-term neonates. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 83 full-term neonates, who were admitted to the hospital to receive phototherapy in the first 6 months of 2015, were randomly divided into two groups: synbiotic (SG, n=40) and control (CG, n=43). Both groups received phototherapy but the SG also received 5 drops/day of synbiotics. Serum bilirubin, urine, stool, feeding frequency, and weight were measured daily until hospital discharge. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean total serum bilirubin in the SG was lower than that in the CG (9.38±2.37 and 11.17±2.60 mg/dL, respectively). The urine and stool frequency in the SG was significantly higher than that in the CG (p<0.05). The duration of hospitalization in the SG was shorter than that in the CG. CONCLUSION: Use of synbiotics as an adjuvant therapy had a significant treatment effect on jaundice in full-term neonates. Further studies including larger samples with long follow-up periods are essential to confirm the benefits of routine use of synbiotics in neonatal patients with jaundice.
Bilirubin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Phototherapy ; Probiotics ; Synbiotics