Table 2.
Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials on Prevention of Eczema by Probiotics in High-Risk Infants
| Study | No. Patients | Treatment Initiated | Follow-up (years) | Intervention and Amount of Probiotics (cfu) in the Active Group | Incidence of Eczema A/C | Effect on Eczema OR (95% CI) | Effect on IgE-Associated Eczema OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalliomäki et al (2001)[40] | A = 77 | Pregnant women and newborn babies | 2 | L. rhamnosus GG 1 × 1010 2 to 4 weeks before delivery, 6 months after birth to lactating mothers, otherwise to bottle-fed infants | 23% vs 46% | 0.36 | NA |
| C = 82 | (0.17-0.77) | -- | |||||
| Kalliomäki et al (2003)[41] | A = 53 | 4 | 26% vs 46% | 0.42 | -- | ||
| C = 54 | (0.18-0.94) | -- | |||||
| Kalliomäki et al (2007)[42] | A = 53 | 7 | 43% vs 66% | 0.58 | -- | ||
| C = 62 | (0.35-0.94) | -- | |||||
| Kukkonen et al (2007)[47] | A = 461 | Pregnant women and newborn babies | 2 | L. rhamnosus GG 5 × 109, L. rhamnosus LC705 5 × 109, B. breve Bb99 2 × 108, and P. freudenreichii ssp shermanii JS 2 × 109 plus prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides from 36 gw daily for 6 months after birth | 26% vs 32% | 0.74 | 0.66 |
| C = 464 | (0.55-0.98) | (0.46-0.95) | |||||
| Kuitunen et al (2009)[48] | A = 445 | 5 | 39% vs 43% | 0.85 | -- | ||
| C = 446 | (0.65-1.11) | -- | |||||
| Taylor et al (2007)[44] | High risk | Only newborn babies aged < 48 hours | 1 | L. acidophilus 3 × 109 daily for 6 months after birth | 43% vs 39% | 1.18 | 2.18 |
| A = 89 | (0.64-2.16) | (1.01-4.72) | |||||
| C = 88 | -- | -- | |||||
| Abrahamsson et al (2007)[45] | High risk | Pregnant women and newborn babies | 2 | L. reuteri 1 × 108 from 36 gw daily to 12 months after birth | 36% vs 34% | 1.06 | 0.53 |
| A = 95 | (0.58-1.93) | (0.24-1.16) | |||||
| C = 93 | -- | -- | |||||
| Kopp et al (2008)[43] | High risk | Pregnant women and newborn babies | 2 | L. rhamnosus GG 5 × 109 daily 4 to 6 weeks before delivery, 6 months after birth to lactating mothers, otherwise to bottle-fed infants | 28% vs 27% | 1.04 | NA |
| A = 50 | (0.42-2.57) | -- | |||||
| C = 44 | -- | -- | |||||
| Wickens et al (2008)[46] | High risk | Pregnant women and newborn babies | 2 | A1: L. rhamnosus HN001 6 × 109 A2: B. animalis ssp lactis 9 × 109 from 35 gw daily for 24 months after birth |
15% vs 27% | 0.51 | 0.51 |
| A1 = 144 | (0.3-0.85) | (0.27-0.87) | |||||
| A2 = 152 | |||||||
| C = 150 |
A, active treatment group; C, control; cfu, colony-forming units.