Table 1.
Baseline demographic, anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the children
| Characteristics | SB group | Non-SB group | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (in months) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 35.2 (32.8) | 59.5 (50.0) | |
| Median (IQR) | 24 (11–48) | 48 (24–91.5) | <0.05 |
| Age-wise distribution of study population, n (%) | |||
| 0–1 years | 26 (32.5) | 8 (10.0) | <0.05 |
| 1–2 years | 17 (21.2) | 14 (17.5) | |
| 2–3 years | 13 (16.2) | 12 (15.0) | |
| 3–4 years | 6 (7.5) | 8 (10.0) | |
| 4–5 years | 5 (6.3) | 4 (5.0) | |
| 5–11 years | 13 (16.3) | 30 (37.5) | |
| >11 years | 0 (0.0) | 4 (5.0) | |
| Gender distribution, n (%) | |||
| Male | 45 (56.3) | 43 (53.8) | 0.8 |
| Female | 35 (43.7) | 37 (46.2) | |
| Birthweight and current weight | |||
| Birthweight (kg) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 3.0 (0.5) | 2.9 (0.4) | 0.3 |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (2.6–3.3) | 2.9 (2.6–3.1) | |
| Current weight (kg) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 12.9 (7.3) | 16.7 (8.5) | <0.05 |
| Median (IQR) | 10.8 (8–15) | 13.5 (10–22.5) | |
| Frequency of stools (number of stools/day) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 9.1 (2.2) | 7.5 (2.3) | <0.05 |
| Median (IQR) | 9 (8–11) | 7 (6–10) | |
| Dehydration status, n (%) | |||
| No dehydration | 22 (27.5) | 58 (72.5) | |
| Some dehydration | 58 (72.5) | 22 (27.5) | <0.05 |
| Severe dehydration | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Distribution according to presumptive diagnosis, n (%) | |||
| Acute diarrhoea | 55 (68.7) | 58 (72.5) | 0.4 |
| Acute dysentery | 14 (17.5) | 11 (13.8) | |
| Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea | 4 (5.0) | 6 (7.5) | |
| Watery diarrhoea (cholera) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.3) | |
| Rotaviral diarrhoea | 7 (8.8) | 2 (2.5) | |
| Total | 80 (100.0) | 80 (100.0) | |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; SB, Saccharomyces boulardii; SD, standard deviation.