Across 3 studies, all reported beneficial effects on reduced hospitalization duration. Effect sizes were mixed (small to large). The evidence is derived from children with acute gastroenteritis (2 studies) and preterm neonates (1 study); doses were not consistently reported.
Caveats: Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive (3 of 3 studies beneficial) — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Effect sizes were mixed, with a large effect observed only in preterm neonates (from a 2015 systematic review) while effects in children with acute gastroenteritis were small. All included studies used Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, not the specified strain MAK02L14R; applicability to MAK02L14R is uncertain.
L. reuteri use was also associated with a reduced duration of hospitalization (three RCTs, n = 284, MD -0.54 days, 95% CI [-1.09, 0.0]).
Compared with the placebo group, patients in the L. reuteri group had a shorter duration of hospitalization (P = 0.048).
Meta-analysis of RCTs estimated that the duration of hospitalization (-10.77 days; 95% CI, -13.67 to -7.86; 3 RCTs) was reduced in the L reuteri group.