Clinical effects of probiotics in ordinary-type COVID-19 patients with diarrhea

Abstract

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging infectious disease that has caused a global pandemic. A variety of drugs have been used to treat COVID-19, including probiotics. This study focused on the clinical significance of probiotics in COVID-19 patients with diarrhea. AIM To evaluate the role of probiotics in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with diarrhea. METHODS A total of 800 cases of ordinary-type COVID-19 were observed, the number of patients with diarrhea was counted, and the time to improvement of diarrhea was compared between two groups of patients with and without probiotics. RESULTS Of the 800 patients with ordinary-type COIVD-19, 90 had diarrhea, with an incidence of 11.25%. There was no significant difference in age, sex, or fecal pus cells between the two groups (P > 0.05). The duration of diarrhea in the 30-40, 45-5, 56-65, and 66-70 age groups in the study group and the control group was 4.27 ± 1.36 d, 5.54 ± 1.53 d, 7.82 ± 1.04 d, and 5.74 ± 1.48 d, and 5.24 ± 1.28 d, 6.58 ± 1.39 d, 8.65 ± 1.23 d, and 7.43 ± 0.91 d, respectively. In the same age group, the duration of disease in the study group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Probiotics had obvious effect in relieving patients' abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. CONCLUSION After the destruction of intestinal mucosal barrier function, intestinal flora imbalance and diarrhea occurs. Probiotics can assist to maintain the integrity of intestinal barrier function, reduce the risk of intestinal infection, shorten the course of diarrhea, and reduce the risk of systemic infection aggravated by the translocation of intestinal flora, which is conducive to the relief of patients' gastrointestinal symptoms.