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A major study conducted in the United States and by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that a commonly used probiotic is not effective in improving symptoms in young patients with gastroenteritis .
The study involved 971 children between the ages of three months and four years who received treatment between July 2014 and June 2017 in the St. Louis Children's Emergency Department and in nine other medical centers. universities in the United States. UU
Participants were eligible if they went to emergency with symptoms of gastroenteritis: fluid stools, vomiting, diarrhea or other signs of acute intestinal infection, without taking any probiotics during two previous weeks.
Half of the children in the study were randomized to receive a common probiotic called Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, or LGG, twice daily for five days, while the others took a placebo of appearance and taste Similar. Otherwise, the children received standard clinical care.
Neither the researchers nor the parents knew which children had received the probiotics.
Whether children take a placebo or a probiotic, their symptoms and recovery are almost identical. The data showed that diarrhea in both groups of children lasted about two days and that children missed an average of two days of childcare.
"We tested many different scenarios: comparing infants and toddlers, whether the patient had taken antibiotics, whether gastroenteritis was caused by a virus or bacteria, and how long it had been before diarrhea. Treatment and purity and strength have been evaluated independently and we have come to the same conclusion each time, "said David Schnadower, lead author of the study, professor of pediatrics at the same time. University of Washington and doctor at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
"LGG has not helped," said Schnadower.
A similar study conducted in Canada evaluated the effectiveness of another probiotic, Lacidofil, in children with gastroenteritis, and the results of this study mirror those of the EE study. UU
There is no treatment for acute childhood gastroenteritis, apart from administering fluids to children to prevent dehydration and sometimes taking medication to relieve nausea.
Gastroenteritis represents 1.7 million pediatric emergency visits and over 70,000 hospitalizations each year.
Consumers around the world are spending billions of dollars each year on probiotic fortified foods, as well as over-the-counter supplements in pills and powders. Statistics show that the global probiotics market is expected to grow in the United States, from $ 37 billion in 2015 to $ 64 billion in 2023.
The findings were published November 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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