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World J Clin Pediatr. Mar 9, 2026; 15(1): 114953
Published online Mar 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i1.114953
Published online Mar 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i1.114953
Clinical outcomes of two lactose-free formulas in the management of acute childhood diarrhea
Nopaorn Phavichitr, Ruangvith Tantibhaedhyangkul, Wilaiporn Chanpreecha, Department of Pediatrics, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Termpong Dumrisilp, Panjachat Ratanamongkol, Department of Pediatrics, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Bangkok 10220, Thailand
Sittichoke Prachuapthunyachart, Voranush Chongsrisawat, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Author contributions: Phavichitr N, Chongsrisawat V, and Tantibhaedhyangkul R contributed to the conceptualization of the study, the visualization of the results, and the original draft of the manuscript; Phavichitr N, Chongsrisawat V, Tantibhaedhyangkul R, and Dumrisilp T contributed to data curation; Phavichitr N, Chongsrisawat V, Tantibhaedhyangkul R, Dumrisilp T, Prachuapthunyachart S, and Chanpreecha W contributed to the methodological framework; Phavichitr N, Chongsrisawat V, Dumrisilp T, and Ratanamongkol P contributed to project administration; Phavichitr N, Chongsrisawat V, Tantibhaedhyangkul R, and Prachuapthunyachart S contributed to editing processes. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the local Ethical Review Board, No. 0361/66.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study has been registered at https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20240706013 (No. TCTR20240706013).
Informed consent statement: All the individuals who participated in this study provided their written informed consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Voranush Chongsrisawat, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, 1873, Rama 4 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. voranush.c@chula.ac.th
Received: October 11, 2025
Revised: November 13, 2025
Accepted: January 5, 2026
Published online: March 9, 2026
Processing time: 155 Days and 4.2 Hours
Revised: November 13, 2025
Accepted: January 5, 2026
Published online: March 9, 2026
Processing time: 155 Days and 4.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This randomized controlled trial compared a medium-chain triglyceride-containing lactose-free formula (MLF) with a standard lactose-free formula in children hospitalized with acute diarrhea. MLF showed noninferior efficacy and safety compared to standard lactose-free formula, with similar clinical outcomes and caregiver satisfaction, but at significantly lower cost. MLF may therefore serve as a cost-effective alternative for managing acute diarrhea in young children, particularly in resource-limited settings.