DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Acute diarrhoea remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age worldwide. Zinc supplementation is recommended by WHO/UNICEF as part of standard therapy, while probiotics are increasingly recognized for their role in restoring gut microbiota and reducing diarrhoeal severity. However, direct comparisons between these two interventions are limited.
Objectives: To compare the efficacy of oral zinc supplementation versus probiotic therapy in reducing the duration of acute diarrhoea in children under five years of age.
Study Design & Setting: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the pediatric outpatient and emergency departments of Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore between January and June 2025.
Methodology: A total of 120 children aged 2 months to 59 months with acute watery diarrhoea of <72 hours’ duration were enrolled. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups: zinc group (n=60) receiving oral zinc sulphate for 10 days, and probiotic group (n=60) receiving Saccharomyces boulardii for 5 days, along with standard care. The primary outcome was duration of diarrhoea in hours; secondary outcomes included total stool frequency, need for hospitalization, intravenous fluids, adverse events, and caregiver acceptability.
Results: The mean duration of diarrhoea was 64.3 ± 18.7 hours in the zinc group and 56.8 ± 16.5 hours in the probiotic group (p=0.01). Mean stool frequency was higher in the zinc group (11.4 ± 3.2 vs. 9.7 ± 2.8; p=0.004). Adverse events were more frequent in the zinc group (15.0% vs. 5.0%), while caregiver acceptability was high in both groups.
Conclusion: Probiotic therapy was more effective than zinc supplementation in reducing the duration and stool frequency of acute diarrhoea in children under five, with fewer adverse events and high acceptability.