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Abstract
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of Bacillus clausii in the treatment of functional constipation in children aged 1 to 5 years.
Study design:
Descriptive case series.
Place and duration of studies:
This study was carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, from February 2025 to June 2025.
Methodology:
A descriptive case series was conducted on children diagnosed with functional constipation according to standard criteria. A total of ninety eight children were enrolled after taking informed consent from parents. All enrolled participants were given one vial of Bacillus clausii once daily for a duration of twenty eight days. Parents were asked to maintain a stool diary noting frequency and consistency of stools using the Bristol stool form scale. Treatment success was defined as passage of at least three bowel movements per week along with stool consistency of grade three or above on the Bristol scale, assessed at the end of second week and fourth week of treatment. Data was recorded on a structured proforma and later analyzed using statistical software.
Results:
The mean age of the children included in the study was 3.1 plus minus 1.2 years. At the end of second week, treatment success was observed in 32.7 percent of children, which further increased to 58.2 percent by the fourth week of therapy. There was a clear improvement noted in both stool frequency and stool consistency over time, and this change was found to be statistically significant with a p value less than 0.001. No serious adverse effects were reported during the study period, and the probiotic was generally well tolerated by the children.
Conclusion:
Bacillus clausii showed a favorable effect on stool frequency and consistency in children with functional constipation. It may be considered as a useful adjunct option in the management of functional constipation in pediatric age group.