Clinical effect of compound azintamide combined with bifidobacteria triple viable capsules in the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in the elderly

Objective To investigate the clinical effect and mechanism of compound azintamide combined with bifidobacteria triple viable capsules in the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) in the elderly. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 62 elderly patients with or comorbid with infectious diseases who were admitted to Department of Geriatrics, Taian 88 Hospital, from October 2019 to February 2021 and received intravenous drip of antibiotics, and according to the treatment method, they were divided into observation group with 32 patients (treated with compound azintamide combined with bifidobacteria triple viable capsules) and control group with 30 patients (treated with bifidobacteria triple viable capsules alone). The drugs were used in addition to antibiotics for 14 d. The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence rate of AAD, time to the onset of diarrhea, number of times of diarrhea per day, and duration of diarrhea during treatment, as well as related biochemical parameters before treatment and on day 14 of treatment, including hemoglobin (Hb), plasma albumin (Alb), total protein (TP), and the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and complement C3 and C4. Results Compared with the control group, the observation group had a significantly lower incidence rate of AAD during treatment (χ2=5.77,P<0.05), as well as a significantly long time to the onset of diarrhea, a significant reduction in the mean number of times of diarrhea per day, and a significantly shorter duration of diarrhea (t=8.72-16.20,P<0.05). Compared with the control group on day 14 of treatment, the observation group had significantly greater changes in the serum levels of CRP, IL-6, C3, and C4 (t=-97.39--29.05,P<0.05), and the differences in the levels of blood Hb, plasma Alb, and plasma TP before and after treatment in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (t=25.96-87.98,P<0.05). Conclusion Compound azintamide combined with bifidobacteria triple viable capsules has a marked clinical effect in the prevention and treatment of AAD in the elderly by improving nutritional status, enhancing immune function, and alleviating inflammatory response.