Probiotics v control (placebo or no probiotics) in children and adults with proven or presumed infectious diarrhoea*
| Outcomes | Number of studies (n) | Weighted event rates | RRR (95% CI) | NNT (CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probiotics | Control | ||||
| *Abbreviations defined in glossary; RRR, NNT, and CI calculated from data in article. | |||||
| †Based on a random effects model (significant heterogeneity among trials). | |||||
| ‡Based on a fixed effects model. | |||||
| Diarrhoea for ⩾3 days† | 15 (1341) | 40% | 62% | 34% (23 to 45) | 5 (4 to 8) |
| Diarrhoea for ⩾4 days† | 13 (1228) | 17% | 45% | 69% (50 to 81) | 4 (3 to 6) |
| Weighted mean difference (CI) | |||||
| Mean duration of diarrhoea (h)† | 12 (970) | −30.48 (−42.46 to −18.51) | |||
| Mean stool frequency (day 2)‡ | 5 (417) | −1.51 (−1.85 to −1.17) | |||
| Mean stool frequency (day 3)‡ | 4 (447) | −1.31 (−1.56 to −1.07) | |||