Osman 1992

Methods	Quasi‐randomized controlled trial Length of follow‐up: 5 days
Participants	Number: 71 infants and children Inclusion criteria: inpatients; infants and children (no age limit specified, mean age of 13 months) with acute watery diarrhoea < 7 days duration, with mild‐to‐moderate dehydration Exclusion criteria: systemic illness; previous use of antibiotics or antidiarrhoeal agents; malnutrition Breastfeeding: included
Interventions	Intervention group: diosmectite. Dosage 1.5 g every 8 hours to infants < 10 kg, 1.6 g every 6 hours to infants > 10 kg for a maximum of 5 days Control: no medication
Outcomes	Clinical resolution (return of stools to previous formed consistency and average number of frequency) Stool output (g/kg) Stool frequency
Notes	Location: Egypt Setting: urban Cause of diarrhoea: rotavirus 43%, bacterial (not specified) 23% Source of funding: not specified
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	High risk	Not truly random; participants selected alternately.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	High risk	Not concealed
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Not blinded
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Not blinded
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	High risk	Per‐protocol analysis with 4 exlusions in intervention group (12%) and 7 losses in control group (19%)
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement. No protocol registered.
Other bias	Unclear risk	No other biases detected.