Table 3.
The effectiveness of probiotics for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
| First author (year) | Number of participants | Probiotics | Outcome and measurement unit | Results in intervention (I)/control group (C) | Statistical test results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giannetti (2017) | 48 | Bifidobacteria | Pain resolution %† | I: 42% C: 14% |
(P=0.003)* |
| Functional improvement % by FDI | I: 46% C: 16% |
(P=0.002) | |||
| Kianifar (2015) | 52 | LGG | Pain severity by LS5 | I: 0.8 (SD=0.9) C: 1.5 (SD=0.8) |
(P=0.00)* |
| Functional scale by LS3 | I: 2.4 (SD=0.5) C: 1.9 (SD=0.4) |
(P=0.00)* | |||
| Francavilla (2010) | 83 | LGG | Pain severity by VAS | I: 2.5 (SD=1.2) C: 3.6 (SD=2.2) |
(P=0.1) |
| Pain severity treatment success % ‡ | I: 55% C: 30% |
(P=0.01)* | |||
| Pain frequency | I: 1.6 (SD=0.8) C: 3.2 (SD=1.9) |
(P=0.001)* | |||
| Pain frequency treatment success %‡ | I: 79% C: 45% |
(P=0.01)* | |||
| Guandalini (2010) | 59 | VSL#3¥ | Change in pain severity by 5 point scale | I: −1.0 (SD=0.2) C: −0.5 (SD=0.2) |
(P<0.05)* |
| Family life disruptions by caregiver’s report | I: −0.9 (SD=0.2) C: −0.51 (SD=0.3) |
(P<0.01)* | |||
| Gawrońska (2007) | 37 | LGG | Treatment success % (n)$ | I: 33.3% (n=6) C: 5.3% (n=1) |
RB 6.3 (95% CI: 1.2–38, P=0.04)* |
| Pain severity by self-report | I: 2.2 (SD=2.1) C: 3.2 (SD=1.5) |
(P=0.10) | |||
| Pain frequency | I: 1.8 (SD=1.7) C: 3.1 (SD=1.1) |
(P=0.02)* | |||
| Use of medications (n) | I: 4 C: 3 |
RR 1.4 (95% CI 0.4–5.1, P=0.69) | |||
| School absenteeism (n) | I: 1 C: 0 |
(P=0.49) | |||
| Bauserman (2005) | 50 | LGG | Change in pain severity by LS4 | I: −1.7 (SD=0.6) C: −1.3 (SD=0.3) |
(P=0.175) |
| Number of responders** | I: 10 C: 11 |
(P=0.774) |
All pain frequency measured as number of episodes/week.
CI Confidence interval; CFU Colony forming units; FDI Functional disability inventory; FPS Faces pain scale; LGG = Lactobacillus (L) rhamnosus GG LS3 Three-point Likert scale; LS5 Five-point Likert scale; MD Mean difference; RB Relative benefit; VAS Visual analogue scale.
*Statistically significant.
†No episodes of pain during the treatment period.
‡At least 50% reduction in number of episodes and intensity of pain.
$Treatment success as no pain (a relaxed face, score of 0, on the Faces Pain Scale).
**Decrease in abdominal pain severity of one point or more on four-point Likert scale.
Bifidobacteria = 3 billion CFU Bifidobacterium (B). longum BB536, 1 billion CFU B. infantis M-63, 1 billion B. breve M-16V.
¥ - VSL #3:B. breve, B. longum, B. infantis, L. acidophilus, L. planatarum, L. casei, L. bulgaris, Streptococcus thermophiles; 450 billion CFU per sachet.