Probiotics Not Beneficial for Children with Gastroenteritis

Two high-quality studies find no benefit from Lactobacillus probiotics among children visiting the emergency department for gastroenteritis.

Probiotics are widely used to treat symptoms of gastroenteritis, without high-quality supporting evidence. Two large, high-quality studies now provide evidence regarding Lactobacillus supplementation as a treatment for gastroenteritis in children visiting the emergency department (ED). Both studies enrolled children aged 3 months to 4 years who presented with symptoms of gastroenteritis.

One study was conducted in ten U.S. pediatric EDs. The investigators randomized 971 children to a five-day course of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (1 x 10¹⁰ colony-forming units twice per day) or placebo. The primary outcome was moderate to severe gastroenteritis during 14-day follow up; secondary outcomes included duration of diarrhea and vomiting. No benefit …

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Probiotics Not Beneficial for Children with Gastroenteritis

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Reviewing Author