Probiotics to end runny noses

nehad

6 October 2010 | by Jennifer Joseph
Parents of runny-nosed kids may soon be praising their community pharmacy, following a controlled trial that found probiotic supplements for children effectively reduce the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and decrease the need for antibiotic prescription.

The study, conducted in China and published in Pediatrics, assigned 326 healthy children aged between three to five years to receive placebo, Lactobacillus acidophilus or Lactobacillus acidophilus in combination with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis.

Children were treated twice daily for six months and evaluated for cold and influenza-like symptom incidence and duration during winter.

Over the study period, children in the two probiotic groups were less likely to report the primary outcome symptoms, having reduced fever incidence by 53 per cent and 72.7 per cent, coughing incidence by 41.4 per cent and 62.1 per cent, and rhinorrhea incidence by 28.2 per cent and 58.8 per cent, respectively.

Fever, coughing, and rhinorrhea duration was decreased significantly, relative to placebo, by 32 per cent and 48 per cent.

Antibiotic use incidence was reduced, relative to placebo, by 68.4 per cent and 84.2 per cent.

Additionally, children receiving probiotic products had significant reductions in days absent from group child care, by 31.8 per cent compared with subjects receiving placebo treatment,

Authors of the study said there may be evidence that probiotics can mitigate disease symptoms, and some that they might even prevent disease.

“Regarding the potential mechanisms through which the reductions in respiratory symptoms and antibiotic usage could be explained, an immune-enhancing effect is a likely explanation, because numerous studies with various probiotic bacteria have demonstrated their ability to modulate immune responses through interactions with toll-like receptors,” said researchers.

“The potential utility of documented probiotics as a prophylactic therapy against the onset of cold and influenza symptoms may help alleviate the need for medicinal symptom relief.”

Dr.Ahmad

شكرا جزيلا على نقل الدراسة المفيدة حكيم

و بصراحة نتائج هي الدراسة تدعم بقوة إعطاء الصادات الحيوية وقائيا و أيضا علاجيا في حالات الرشح او الالتهابات الفيروسية و هو ما يتم فعليا عندنا ... هههههه

dr.Ali

طلع بالآخير أطبائنا معون حق ............... بعد ما كنا نستغرب من وصف الصادات في حالات الانفلونزا و غيرها من الانتانات الفيروسية

nehad

شكرا لمروركم الطيب