Table 2.

The effectiveness of probiotics for treatment of functional abdominal pain

First author (Year)	Number of participants	Probiotics	Outcome and measurement unit	Results in intervention(I)/control group (C)	Statistical test results
Maragkoudaki (2017)	54	Lactobacillus (L). reuteri 17938	Pain severity by WB-FACE	I: 4.3 (SD=8.5) C: 4.0 (SD=5.6)	(P=0.72)
			Pain frequency	I: 2.9 (SD=4.5) C: 3.1 (SD=4.1)	(P=0.68)
Weizman (2016)	101	L. reuteri 17938	Pain severity by HFPS	I 4.3 (SD=2.7) C: 7.2 (SD=3.1)	(P<0.01)*
			Pain frequency	I: 1.9 (SD=0.8) C: 3.6 (SD=1.7)	(P<0.02)*
Eftekhari (2015)	80	L. reuteri 17938	Pain resolution (%) by WB-FACEα	I: 50% C: 65%	NS
			Pain frequency	I: 2.53 (SD=1.43) C: 2.08 (SD=1.56)	(P=0001)*
Romano (2014)	60	L. reuteri 17938	Pain severity by WB-FACE	NR	(P<0.05)*
			Pain frequency (episodes/day)	NR	(NS)
Francavilla (2010)	58	LGG	Pain severity by VAS	I: 2.5 (SD=1.6) C: 3.1 (SD=1.4)	(P=0.1)
			Pain severity treatment success (%)†	I: 50% C: 60%	(P=0.4)
			Pain frequency	I: 1.9 (SD=0.7) C: 1.7 (SD=1.5)	(P=0.7)
			Pain frequency treatment success (%)†	I: 48% C: 44%	(P=0.6)
Gawrońska (2007)	47	LGG	Treatment success (n)‡	I: 25% (n=6) C: 9.1% (n=2)	RB 2.9 (95% CI: 0.7–11.7, P=0.25)
			Pain severity by self-report	I: 2.6 (SD=2.0) C: 3.0 (SD=1.5)	(P=0.57)
			Pain frequency	I: 2.3 (SD=1.8) C:2.4 (SD=1.4)	(P=0.93)

All pain frequency measured as number of episodes/week

CI Confidence interval; FOS Fructo-oligosaccharide; HFPS Hicks faces pain scale; LGG = Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG; MD Mean difference; NR Not reported; NS Not significant; RB Relative benefit; VAS Visual analogue scale; WB-FACE Wong-Baker FACES pain rating scale.

α = at least two point reduction in WB-FACE or ‘no pain’ after probiotic.

*Statistically significant.

^†At least 50% decrease in number of episodes and intensity of pain

^‡No pain (a relaxed face, score of 0, on the Faces Pain Scale)