A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Lactobacillus GG for abdominal pain disorders in children.
BACKGROUND
Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) are common in school-aged children; however, there is no reliable treatment.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) for treating FAPD in children.


METHODS
A total of 104 children who fulfilled the Rome II criteria for functional dyspepsia (FD), or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or functional abdominal pain (FAP) were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial in which they received LGG (n = 52), or placebo (n = 52) for 4 weeks.


RESULTS
For the overall study population, those in the LGG group were more likely to have treatment success (no pain) than those in the placebo group (25% vs. 9.6%, relative benefit (RB) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-6.6, number needed to treat (NNT) 7, 95% CI: 4-123). For children with IBS (n = 37), those in the LGG group were more likely to have treatment success than those in the placebo group (33% vs. 5%, RB 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2-38, NNT 4, 95% CI: 2-36) and reduced frequency of pain (P = 0.02), but not pain severity (P = 0.10). For the FD group (n = 20) and FAP group (n = 47), no differences were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The LGG appears to moderately increase treatment success, particularly among children with IBS.
Gawrońska
A
A
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, The Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Dziechciarz
P
P
Horvath
A
A
Szajewska
H
H
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000178:diet therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000178:diet therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000178:diet therapy*; D052201:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome