Effect of Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02-Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR04 combination and gastrointestinal functional disorders in an Emergency Department pediatric population.

2021-04-01
European review for medical and pharmacological sciences 25(7)

PubMed: 33877678
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202104_25564

Study Design

Type: Observational
Population: children with functional abdominal pain; children with gastroenteritis; children with gas colic
Methods: Three groups were enrolled in a pediatric Emergency Department setting; self-reporting sheets were delivered to each patient/parent after probiotics treatment; probiotics therapy at the recommended dosage of five drops per day for 15 days

Objective

Probiotics are living microorganisms that, when administered per os in adequate amounts, may confer a health benefit on the host by the regularization of an unbalanced gastroenteric microbiota. The objective of this study was to evaluate treatment effectiveness, safety, and palatability of a probiotic's combination (Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02-DSM 23878 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR04-DSM 16605) in a pediatric Emergency Department setting with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Patients and methods

Three groups were enrolled: children with functional abdominal pain; children with gastroenteritis; children with gas colic. Self-reporting sheets were delivered to each patient/parent after probiotics treatment. The primary outcome was to evaluate the evolution of clinical conditions in enrolled children.

Results

The outcomes showed a statistical difference among children treated with probiotics and those who did not. In the functional abdominal pain group, 58.2% of patients had a moderate symptoms improvement and 33.5% had a complete disappearance of symptoms, while in the gas colic group, 68.2% of the infants had a moderate improvement and 23.2% had a complete resolution. In the gastroenteritis group, stool consistency and number of evacuations improved in children who took probiotic administration as well.

Conclusions

Probiotics therapy, at the recommended dosage of five drops per day for 15 days, is associated with symptoms improvement. Moreover, the use of probiotics led to a stool consistency's normalization in a shorter time, evaluated with BSS. A randomized trial is needed to confirm these results.

Research Insights

Supplement	Dose	Health Outcome	Effect Type	Effect Size	Source
Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02	—	Improved Gastrointestinal Symptoms	Beneficial	Moderate	View source In the functional abdominal pain group, 58.2% of patients had a moderate symptoms improvement and 33.5% had a complete disappearance of symptoms, while in the gas colic group, 68.2% of the infants had a moderate improvement and 23.2% had a complete resolution.
Lactobacillus reuteri LRE02	—	Improved Stool Formation	Beneficial	Small	View source the use of probiotics led to a stool consistency's normalization in a shorter time, evaluated with BSS.