BENEFITS OF OLIGOFRUCTOSE AND INULIN IN MANAGEMENT
OF FUNCTIONAL DIARRHOEA IN CHILDREN – INTERVENTIONAL
STUDY
CRISTINA ADRIANA BECHEANU 1,2, IULIA FLORENTINA ŢINCU 1*, ROXANA ELENA SMĂDEANU 1,2 , OANA ANDREIA COMAN 3, LAURENȚIU COMAN 4, RADU CIPRIAN ŢINCU 2,5, DANIELA PĂCURAR 1,2
1“Grigore Alexandrescu” Children Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
2“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics and Genetics,
Discipline of Paediatrics, Bucharest, Romania
3 “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and
Pharmacotherapy, Bucharest, Romania
4 “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Physiology, Bucharest,
Romania
5 Critical Care Toxicology Unit, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
*corresponding author: if_boian@yahoo.com
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Abstract:
Functional diarrhoea (FD) is a common cause of persistent diarrhoea in the first years of life. Prebiotics might improve
symptoms acting through gut microbiota. The aim of the study was to evaluate the number and severity of acute episodes of
diarrhoea in children with FD receiving a combination of oligofructose and inulin. A total of 54 patients were initially
included (n = 23 controls, n = 31 treatment). There was a significant improvement in the treatment group (group A) when
compared with control group (group B), revealed in number of acute episodes (1.17 vs. 4.5, p < 0.001) and duration of acute
episodes (2.7 vs. 8.9 days, p < 0.001). The average duration of antibiotic use was higher in the second group control (average:
7 days; IQR: 3 - 12) compared with treatment group (3 days; IQR: 2.5 - 4.5; p = 0.025). In conclusion, a combination of
oligofructose and inulin supplementation in children with FD is effective, but further studies need to be performed.

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