Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Loperamide and racecadotril are two antidiarrheal medications with different mechanisms of action that are highly important for the treatment of diarrhea as a result of infectious pathology. Acute infectious diarrhea has a profound impact on our surroundings because of i...

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Main Authors: Maryam Aziz, Laiba Urooj Malik, Erum Javed, Syeda Zuha Sami, Muhammad Maaz, Muhammad Arham Khan, Muhammad Farmaan, Omer Farooq, Umer Iqbal, Aashish Kumar, Syed Ali Arsal, Shafin Bin Amin, Inibehe Ime Okon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Health Science Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70849
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author Maryam Aziz
Laiba Urooj Malik
Erum Javed
Syeda Zuha Sami
Muhammad Maaz
Muhammad Arham Khan
Muhammad Farmaan
Omer Farooq
Umer Iqbal
Aashish Kumar
Syed Ali Arsal
Shafin Bin Amin
Inibehe Ime Okon
author_facet Maryam Aziz
Laiba Urooj Malik
Erum Javed
Syeda Zuha Sami
Muhammad Maaz
Muhammad Arham Khan
Muhammad Farmaan
Omer Farooq
Umer Iqbal
Aashish Kumar
Syed Ali Arsal
Shafin Bin Amin
Inibehe Ime Okon
author_sort Maryam Aziz
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background and Aims Loperamide and racecadotril are two antidiarrheal medications with different mechanisms of action that are highly important for the treatment of diarrhea as a result of infectious pathology. Acute infectious diarrhea has a profound impact on our surroundings because of its detrimental effects on individual health. Medication such as racecadotril, among various other drug classes, plays a pivotal role in treating these diseases via the management of symptoms through its antisecretory, proabsorptive effects on the intestinal tract. The main objective of this analysis was to evaluate and contrast the usefulness and safety profiles of these drugs by combining information from randomized controlled trials and highlighting important side effects reported, such as constipation and stomach discomfort. Method A total of 117 records were found after a thorough literature search was carried out across several databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library. The Cochrane Collaboration technique was utilized to evaluate the potential for bias. RevMan 5.2 data analysis was performed via a random effects model. The results are displayed as the mean difference (MD) with 95% CI for continuous data and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data. Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05. Results Compared with loperamide, racecadotril significantly improved the clinical response (relative risk [RR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]). Additionally, the analysis of secondary outcomes revealed varying effects on abdominal pain, constipation, and abdominal enlargement, with moderate heterogeneity observed (I² = 56%). Conclusion Compared with loperamide, racecadotril is a better therapeutic option for adult diarrhea caused by infection.
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spelling doaj-art-438de169fef74ebfb99ab9ace3b2fa5a2025-08-20T02:55:06ZengWileyHealth Science Reports2398-88352025-05-0185n/an/a10.1002/hsr2.70849Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐AnalysisMaryam Aziz0Laiba Urooj Malik1Erum Javed2Syeda Zuha Sami3Muhammad Maaz4Muhammad Arham Khan5Muhammad Farmaan6Omer Farooq7Umer Iqbal8Aashish Kumar9Syed Ali Arsal10Shafin Bin Amin11Inibehe Ime Okon12Department of Medicine Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Karachi Medical and Dental College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College University of Peshawar Peshawar PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Karachi PakistanDepartment of Medicine Jinnah Sindh Medical University Karachi PakistanDepartment of Research Medical Research Circle (MedReC) Bukavu DR CongoABSTRACT Background and Aims Loperamide and racecadotril are two antidiarrheal medications with different mechanisms of action that are highly important for the treatment of diarrhea as a result of infectious pathology. Acute infectious diarrhea has a profound impact on our surroundings because of its detrimental effects on individual health. Medication such as racecadotril, among various other drug classes, plays a pivotal role in treating these diseases via the management of symptoms through its antisecretory, proabsorptive effects on the intestinal tract. The main objective of this analysis was to evaluate and contrast the usefulness and safety profiles of these drugs by combining information from randomized controlled trials and highlighting important side effects reported, such as constipation and stomach discomfort. Method A total of 117 records were found after a thorough literature search was carried out across several databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library. The Cochrane Collaboration technique was utilized to evaluate the potential for bias. RevMan 5.2 data analysis was performed via a random effects model. The results are displayed as the mean difference (MD) with 95% CI for continuous data and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data. Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05. Results Compared with loperamide, racecadotril significantly improved the clinical response (relative risk [RR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]). Additionally, the analysis of secondary outcomes revealed varying effects on abdominal pain, constipation, and abdominal enlargement, with moderate heterogeneity observed (I² = 56%). Conclusion Compared with loperamide, racecadotril is a better therapeutic option for adult diarrhea caused by infection.https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70849diarrheainfectious originloperamidemeta‐analysisracecadotrilrandomized controlled trials
spellingShingle Maryam Aziz
Laiba Urooj Malik
Erum Javed
Syeda Zuha Sami
Muhammad Maaz
Muhammad Arham Khan
Muhammad Farmaan
Omer Farooq
Umer Iqbal
Aashish Kumar
Syed Ali Arsal
Shafin Bin Amin
Inibehe Ime Okon
Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Health Science Reports
diarrhea
infectious origin
loperamide
meta‐analysis
racecadotril
randomized controlled trials
title Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
title_full Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
title_fullStr Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
title_short Racecadotril Versus Loperamide for Acute Diarrhea of Infectious Origin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
title_sort racecadotril versus loperamide for acute diarrhea of infectious origin in adults a systematic review and meta analysis
topic diarrhea
infectious origin
loperamide
meta‐analysis
racecadotril
randomized controlled trials
url https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70849
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