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Efficacy of a mixture of probiotic agents as complementary therapy for chronic functional constipation in childhood
Marina Russo1, Francesca Paola Giugliano1, Paolo Quitadamo1
1Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, "Federico II" University of Naples, Via S. Pansini, 5, 80131, Naples, Italy.
Insights
This study found that Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) with or without a probiotic mixture (PM) effectively treats childhood constipation. Both treatments showed similar short-term results, but further research is needed for long-term benefits of probiotics.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Microbiome Research
- Clinical Therapeutics
Background:
- Chronic constipation affects 30% of children beyond puberty.
- Probiotics are being explored to prevent Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-related intestinal dysbiosis.
- This study investigated a probiotic mixture (PM) of Bifidobacteria strains for childhood functional constipation (FC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a probiotic mixture (PM) as a complementary therapy for childhood functional constipation (FC).
- To compare the outcomes of PEG plus PM versus PEG alone in treating pediatric FC.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-five children with FC were randomized into two groups: PEG plus PM, or PEG alone.
- Clinical and physical data were collected over an 8-week period.
- Treatment involved daily oral administration of PEG with or without the PM.
Main Results:
- After one month, 88% of children on PEG and 81.8% on PEG plus PM showed improvement (p=0.24).
- A trend towards higher clinical remission was observed in the PEG plus PM group (64% off therapy) compared to PEG alone (52%) one month post-treatment (p=0.28).
Conclusions:
- Both PEG and PEG plus PM are equally safe and effective for short-term treatment of childhood chronic constipation.
- Further research is required to determine if adding Bifidobacteria strains to conventional therapy improves long-term outcomes.
Background:
About 30% of constipated children continue to struggle with constipation beyond puberty. Growing interest has recently raised on the use of probiotics as complementary therapy for FC, in order to prevent the possible PEG-related intestinal dysbiosis. Our study aimed at evaluating the effect on childhood FC of a probiotic mixture (PM), including Bifidobacteria breve M-16 V®, infantis M-63®, and longum BB536®.
Methods:
Fifty-five consecutive children suffering from FC were randomly assigned into two groups: group A received a daily oral combination of PEG plus PM and group B received oral PEG only. Physical and clinical data were collected from each patient at week-1, week-2, week-4, and week-8.
Results:
After 1 month, children who experienced improvement in the PEG and in the PEG + PM group were 88 and 81.8%, respectively (p = 0.24). After 1 month from the end of the study treatment, a positive trend towards a higher rate of clinical remission was observed within children treated with PM compared to those who took only PEG (percentage of children off therapy: 64 vs 52, respectively; p = 0.28).
Conclusions:
PEG and PEG + PM are equally effective and safe in the treatment of children with chronic constipation. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to show if adding Bifidobacteria strains to conventional therapy may lead to a better long-term outcome.
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