title: Effect of Saccharomyces boulardii in the treatment of acute watery diarrhea in Myanmar children: a randomized controlled study.
abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii in acute diarrhea. One hundred hospitalized children in Myanmar (age range = 3 months to 10 years) were included. Fifty were treated with S. boulardii for five days in addition to oral rehydration solution (ORS) and 50 were given ORS alone (control group) in an alternating order. The mean duration of diarrhea was 3.08 days in the S. boulardii group and 4.68 days (P < 0.05) in the control group. Stools had a normal consistency on day 3 in 38 (76%) of 50 patients in the S. boulardii group compared with only 12 (24%) of 50 in the control group (P = 0.019). On day 2, 27 (54%) of 50 had less than three stools per day in the S. boulardii group compared with only 15 (30%) of 50 in the control group (P = 0.019). Saccharomyces boulardii shortens the duration of diarrhea and normalizes stool consistency and frequency. The shortening of the duration of diarrhea results in a social and economic benefits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, North Okkalapa General Hospital, University of Medicine, Yangon, Myanmar.
authors.forename: Khin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Htwe
authors.forename: Khin Saw
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: Marlar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tin
authors.forename: Yvan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vandenplas
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000628:therapy*; D054308:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity; D054307:Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000628:therapy; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D002052:Myanmar; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012440:Saccharomyces / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome