Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants at 1 month postpartum.
|
Probiotic group (n = 41) |
Control group (n = 19) |
P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | |||
| Age (y) | 33 (27–39) | 33 (23–43) | 0.981 |
| Height (cm) | 159 (150–169) | 161 (154–168) | 0.105 |
| Weight (kg) | 54 (45–63) | 53 (46–61) | 0.633 |
| Gestational age (w) | 39 (37–41) | 39 (37–41) | 0.775 |
| Infant birth weight (g) | 3110 (2,642–3,578) | 3083 (2,802–3,274) | 0.415 |
| Days postpartum (d) | 44 (34–48) | 42 (32–52) | 0.583 |
| Levels of cytokines in human milk | |||
| TGF-β1 (pg/mL) | 164.0 (131.2–196.8) | 180.7 (131.7–229.6) | 0.460 |
| TGF-β2 (pg/mL) | 653.2 (473.4–833.1) | 688.5 (423.8–953.2) | 0.422 |
| IgA (μg/mL) | 507.8 (450.6–564.9) | 605.0 (511.0–699.0) | 0.030 |
| Clinical history of allergies | |||
| Any | 41/41 (100%) | 19/19 (100%) | 1.000 |
| Asthma | 3/41 (7%) | 3/19 (16%) | 0.370 |
| Atopic dermatitis | 16/41 (39%) | 6/19 (32%) | 0.578 |
| Allergic rhinitis | 34/41 (83%) | 13/19 (68%) | 0.578 |
Values are shown as median (interquartile range) except for clinical history of allergies, which is shown as proportion (%). BMI, body mass index; TGF, transforming growth factor; IgA, immunoglobulin A.