Young children frequently suffer from acute gastroenteritis (AGE) caused by viruses – almost always rotavirus – a digestive disorder that causes diarrhoea, usually of sudden onset, and which can be accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, vomiting or abdominal pain. In developed countries, children under three years of age usually have about two episodes of diarrhea a year with a normal duration of seven days, according to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP).
To help combat this condition, Grupo Italfarmaco has developed a combination of probiotics and prebiotics –Prodefen® Drops– capable of significantly reducing the duration of diarrhea and accelerating the recovery of children when used as a complement to standard treatment based on dietary measures and oral rehydration, as demonstrated by the results of the PRODINFANT clinical study, carried out by the Italfarmaco Group in Spain in infants and children up to two years of age with diarrhea of probable viral origin, and which was presented at the last European Congress of Pediatrics (European Academy of Paediatric Societies-EAPS 2022).
Pediatricians from 10 medical centers throughout Spain have participated in the PRODINFANT study. The 75 infants and young children were divided into two groups: Symbiotic Group (Prodefen® Drops and standard diet/rehydration measures) and Control Group (only standard diet/rehydration measures) and their evolution was observed for seven days. Prodefen® Drops shortened the duration of diarrhea by two days and was well tolerated by the children. 95% of the parents expressed their satisfaction with the treatment and assured that they would administer the synbiotic to their children in future episodes of diarrhea.
“The recovery of the microbiota is essential to guarantee an effective intestinal barrier against germs and external aggressions”
Dr. García Menor, a pediatrician specializing in pediatric gastroenterology (Hospital Universitario del Sureste) has declared: “I think it is very important to point out that these same results were obtained in a previous study that was carried out with Prodefen® in sachets also in acute diarrhea of viruses in children. We cannot forget that probiotics are live microorganisms and, as such, in addition to strain selection, their viability must be guaranteed in the final product. That is why I believe that the availability of clinical studies with the final preparation found in pharmacies, as well as the consistency of the results as is the case, constitute a solid guarantee when recommending its use to our patients”.
As Dr. Fátima García Marín, a pediatric specialist at the Virgen del Mar Hospital in Madrid, adds, “the recovery of the microbiota is essential to guarantee an effective intestinal barrier against germs and external aggressions.”
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