title: Review of the role of probiotics in gastrointestinal diseases in adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Probiotics may act as biological agents that modify the intestinal microbiota and certain cytokine profiles, which can lead to an improvement in certain gastrointestinal diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a review of the evidence of the role of probiotics in certain gastrointestinal diseases in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review conducted using appropriate descriptors, filters and limits in the PubMed database (MEDLINE).
  
  
  METHODS
  The MeSH terms used were Probiotics [in the title] AND Gastrointestinal Diseases, with the following limits or filters: Types of study: Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analysis, Guideline, Practice Guideline, Consensus Development Conference (and Consensus Development Conference NIH), Randomized Controlled Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial and Clinical Trial; age: adults (19 or older); language: English and Spanish; in humans, and with at least one abstract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full texts of all the Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses directly related to the review's objective were obtained, as well as the Randomised Controlled Trials of the studies that were considered relevant and of sufficient quality for this review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Certain probiotics, different for each process, have proven to be effective and beneficial in cases of acute infectious diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea, pouchitis and Helicobacter pylori infection eradication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although some probiotics have not demonstrated any benefit, there are certain gastrointestinal diseases in which the use of probiotics, true biological agents, can be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Royo Villanova, Zaragoza, España. Electronic address: jjsebastian@salud.aragon.es.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sebastián Domingo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000628:therapy; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines
keywords: Bifidobacterium; Clostridium difficile; Colitis ulcerosa; Colitis, Ulcerative; Constipation; Crohn disease; Diarrea; Diarrhea; Enfermedad de Crohn; Estreñimiento; Gastrointestinal diseases; Helicobacter pylori; Irritable bowel syndrome; Lactobacillus; Pouchitis; Probiotics; Probióticos; Reservoritis; Síndrome del intestino irritable