Abstract
Objectives: Probiotics are microbial cell preparations or living organisms that have a beneficial effect on the health and well being of the host. Probiotics may offer a safe intervention in acute infectious childhood diarrhea to reduce the duration and severity of the illness. In many places, probiotics are overused or misused and often given without professional jurisdiction. The present study was designed to analyze prescription patterns of probiotics in rural area of Bangladesh and to assess the effects of probiotics in proven or presumed infectious childhood diarrhea. Material and Methods: This study was conducted at Manikganj district hospital of Bangladesh from October to December 2016 to accumulate data from 430 respondents. The data were collected by taking prescription details from patients or their relatives by face to face interview with them who were willing to respond. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical software package SPSS, version 23. Results: According to current study oral rehydration therapy was found as a cornerstone for treating pediatric diarrhea. In addition, it was observed that average 3.2 drugs prescribed per encounter and more than 26.4% prescriptions contained probiotic products. Approximately 35% probiotics were prescribed by pediatricians. Bacillus and Lactobacillus were found to be the most frequently prescribed probiotic species for treating childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh. Both antibiotics and probiotics were prescribed to one-third of pediatric patients suffering from diarrhea. Only oral solid (63.7%) and oral liquid (36.3%) were prescribed as probiotic products for pediatric patients. Conclusion: It is hoped that the outputs of the present study on probiotics will be used as a science-based assessment tool for managerial decisions on probiotics. This study will help to develop the guidelines and a practical model for the industry to scientifically evaluate probiotics in food. As a national priority, it is expected that these outputs will be useful for the government policy makers to evaluate probiotics on health benefits and the study results can also be used as a scientific tool for the assessment of this new therapeutic option.
Highlights
IntroductionAccording to World Health Organization (WHO) diarrhea is defined as three or more watery or loose stools (taking the shape of the pot) in a twenty four hour period
According to World Health Organization (WHO) diarrhea is defined as three or more watery or loose stools in a twenty four hour period
Bacillus and Lactobacillus were found to be the most frequently prescribed probiotic species for treating childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh. Both antibiotics and probiotics were prescribed to one-third of pediatric patients suffering from diarrhea
Summary
According to World Health Organization (WHO) diarrhea is defined as three or more watery or loose stools (taking the shape of the pot) in a twenty four hour period. Diarrhea is considered as the second leading cause of death among children less than 5 years of age worldwide that is caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and non-infectious agents [4]. Deaths caused by diarrhea are common in developing countries for children younger than five years, and account for 2.4 to 3.3 million deaths per year [6]. Enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella spp. were found the most common isolated pathogens for infectious diarrhea according to an etiological study on young children attending the hospitals in China, India, Mexico, Myanmar, and Pakistan [8] [9]. Acute diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli is common among travelers [10] [11]. Most episodes of acute infectious diarrhea are treated without identifying the causative agent. On the contrary with acute infectious diarrhea, there are several factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of persistent diarrhea [12]
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