Nutrients 2013, 5(3), 679-699; doi:10.3390/nu5030679
Role of Probiotics in Short Bowel Syndrome in Infants and Children—A Systematic Review
1
Department of Neonatology, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, Subiaco, Perth, WA 6008, Australia
2
Centre for Neonatal Research and Education, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6008, Australia
3
Department of Neonatology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth, WA 6008, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 19 December 2012 / Revised: 11 February 2013 / Accepted: 19 February 2013 / Published: 5 March 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiota and Gut Function)
Abstract
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in children. Probiotics, due to their beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., improving gut barrier function, motility, facilitation of intestinal adaptation and decreasing pathogen load and inflammation) may have a therapeutic role in the management of SBS. To conduct a systematic review of the current evidence for the effects of probiotic supplementation in children with SBS, the standard Cochrane methodology for systematic reviews was used. The databases, Pubmed, Embase, ACTR, CENTRAL, and the international trial registry, and reference lists of articles were searched for randomised (RCT) or quasi-randomised controlled trials reporting on the use of probiotics in SBS. Our search revealed no RCTs on the use of probiotics in children with SBS. We found one small cross-over RCT (placebo controlled crossover clinical trial), one case control study and nine case reports on the use of probiotics in children with SBS. In the crossover RCT, there was no consistent effect on intestinal permeability (primary outcome) after supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG) in nine children with SBS. The case control study (four cases: four controls) reported a trend for increase in height and weight velocity and improvement in non-clinical outcomes, such as gut flora, lymphocyte count and serum prealbumin. Five of the nine case reports showed that children (n = 12) with SBS were benefited (e.g., cessation of diarrhoea, improved faecal flora, weight gain and weaning from parenteral nutrition) by probiotic supplementation. The remaining four reported on the adverse effects, such as Lactobacillus sepsis (n = 3) and d-lactic acidosis (n = 2). There is insufficient evidence on the effects of probiotics in children with SBS. The safety and efficacy of probiotic supplementation in this high-risk cohort needs to be evaluated in large definitive trials. View Full-TextKeywords:
infants; children; probiotics; review; short bowel syndrome
▼
Figures
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Reddy, V.S.; Patole, S.K.; Rao, S. Role of Probiotics in Short Bowel Syndrome in Infants and Children—A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2013, 5, 679-699.
Related Articles
Article Metrics
Comments
[Return to top]
Nutrients
EISSN 2072-6643
Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland
RSS
E-Mail Table of Contents Alert