title: Probiotics as adjunctive treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if oral probiotics as adjunctive treatment are more effective than placebo in improving quality of life in patients with chronic inflammatory rhinosinusitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 77 patients with chronic inflammatory rhinosinusitis were randomly assigned to receive oral probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 strain (500 million active cells/tablet twice daily) (n = 39) or oral placebo treatment (n = 38) for 4 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the probiotic group, the mean change from baseline in the SNOT-20 scores was significant at 4 weeks (P = 0.002) but not at 8 weeks (P = 0.37). Rhinological domain improved by 9.3 percent (P = 0.004) in probiotics group but returned to baseline level at 8 weeks. No significant differences were found between the probiotic and placebo groups in mean changes from baseline to 4 weeks (P = 0.79) or from baseline to 8 weeks (P = 0.23). No changes in symptom frequency were noted, either within each group or between treatment groups at 4 and 8 weeks. There was no difference in medication use or side effects between the two study groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral use of the probiotic strain L rhamnosus R0011 did not improve sinonasal quality-of-life scores in patients with chronic inflammatory rhinosinusitis compared with placebo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Shraddha S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mukerji
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pynnonen
authors.forename: Hyungjin Myra
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabor
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Terrell
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D052201:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019936:Probiotics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome