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Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
Qiukui Hao1, Bi Rong Dong, Taixiang Wu
1Center of Geriatrics and Gerontology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610041.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|May 1, 2015
Summary
Probiotics significantly reduced the incidence and duration of acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) compared to placebo. While generally safe, the evidence quality for these benefits is low to very low.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Probiotics modulate immune function, potentially preventing infections.
- Previous reviews indicated probiotic benefits for acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).
- Several new studies necessitate an updated assessment of probiotic efficacy for URTIs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of probiotics versus placebo in preventing acute URTIs.
- To assess the safety of probiotics for URTI prevention across all age groups.
- To analyze various probiotic strains, doses, and risk factors for URTI.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, etc.) up to July 2014.
- Included 13 RCTs with data from 3720 participants; 12 trials were meta-analyzed.
Main Results:
- Probiotics reduced the number of participants experiencing acute URTI episodes (OR 0.53) and the duration of illness (MD -1.89 days).
- Reduced antibiotic prescription rates (OR 0.65) and cold-related school absence were observed with probiotics.
- No significant difference in the rate ratio of URTI episodes or adverse events; side effects were minor and mainly gastrointestinal.
Conclusions:
- Probiotics demonstrate a potential benefit over placebo in preventing acute URTIs, reducing incidence, duration, and antibiotic use.
- The overall quality of evidence supporting these findings is low to very low.
- Further high-quality research is needed to confirm the efficacy and optimal use of probiotics for URTI prevention.
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