A Mixture of 3 Bifidobacteria Decreases Abdominal Pain and Improves the Quality of Life in Children With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial.
We assessed the efficacy of a probiotic mixture of Bifidobacterium infantis M-63, breve M-16V, and longum BB536 in improving abdominal pain (AP) and quality of life (QoL) in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD).



AP-associated functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly IBS and FD, are common in pediatrics, and no well-established treatment is currently available. Although probiotics have shown promising results in adults, data in children are heterogeneous.



Forty-eight children with IBS (median age, 11.2 y; range, 8 to 17.9 y) and 25 with FD (age, 11.6 y; range, 8 to 16.6 y) were randomized to receive either a mixture of 3 Bifidobacteria or a placebo for 6 weeks. After a 2-week "washout" period, each patient was switched to the other group and followed up for further 6 weeks. At baseline and follow-up, patients completed a symptom diary and a QoL questionnaire. AP resolution represented the primary outcome parameter.



In IBS, but not in FD, Bifidobacteria determined a complete resolution of AP in a significantly higher proportion of children, when compared with placebo (P=0.006), and significantly improved AP frequency (P=0.02). The proportion of IBS children with an improvement in QoL was significantly higher after probiotics than after placebo (48% vs. 17%, P=0.001), but this finding was not confirmed in FD.



In children with IBS a mixture of Bifidobacterium infantis M-63, breve M-16V, and longum BB536 is associated with improvement in AP and QoL. These findings were not confirmed in FD subjects. Trial identifier: NCT02566876 (http://www.clinicaltrial.gov).
*Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Section of Pediatrics, Federico II University †Department of Woman, Child, and General and Specialistic Surgery, Second University of Naples, Naples ‡Department of Pediatrics, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
Eleonora
E
Giannetti
Marco
M
Maglione
Annalisa
A
Alessandrella
Caterina
C
Strisciuglio
Donatella
D
De Giovanni
Angelo
A
Campanozzi
Erasmo
E
Miele
Annamaria
A
Staiano
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D001644:Bifidobacterium; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome