The Role of Probiotics in Common Paediatric Gastrointestinal Diseases

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to specify the use of clinically proven probiotics in common pediatric gastrointestinal disorders. The PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched in May and June 2018, using the following key words: „probiotics“, „children“, „antibiotic associated diarrhea“, „acute gastroenteritis“, and „functional gastrointestinal disorders“.Only studies published in English and published data were considered. The search included clinical trials, systematic reviews, guidelines and recommendations for clinical practice, and only relevant, high-quality and recent data were taken into account. Probiotics in general are nowadays used for numerous clinical indications and there is also a very large and still growing number of papers addressing this issue.

Conclusion – According to current knowledge, two probiotic strains are recommended for antibiotic associated diarrhea prevention and treatment of acute gastroenteritis, LGG and S. boulardii. For the strain L. reuteri DSM 17938 there is a weak recommendation for treatment of acute gastroenteritis. There are still not enough data to recommend the use of probiotics in pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders, with the exception of L. reuteri DSM 17938 for treatment of infantile colic in breastfed infants.