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Probiotic Supplementation for Prevention of Atopic Dermatitis in Infants and Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Background

Probiotic supplementation in early life may be effective in preventing atopic dermatitis (AD); however, results regarding efficacy have been controversial.

Objective

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of probiotic supplementation on the risk of AD.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, EBSCO, Embase and Web of Science databases up to 8 March 2018 for potentially relevant studies regarding probiotic supplementation and AD. Included infants and children were those with probiotic exposure in utero and/or after birth who were not previously diagnosed with AD. We calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and used the Jadad and Newcastle–Ottawa scales to assess methodologic quality.

Results

A total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. Compared with controls, probiotic treatment was associated with a reduced risk of AD (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.58–0.82, P < 0.0001). The use of probiotics during both the prenatal and the postnatal period significantly reduced the incidence of AD (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.54–0.82); however, analysis of studies of probiotics given prenatally only or postnatally only did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis showed that probiotic supplementation during both the prenatal and the postnatal period reduced the incidence of AD in infants and children. Our findings suggest that starting probiotic treatment during gestation and continuing through the first 6 months of the infant’s life may be of benefit in the prevention of AD.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the authors of the studies that made up the database for this meta-analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, People’s Republic of China

    Lin Li, Zhen Han, Xiaoping Niu, Guozheng Zhang, Yuliang Jia, Shunguo Zhang & Chiyi He

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  1. Lin Li
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  3. Xiaoping Niu
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Contributions

Lin Li conceived and designed the paper. Lin Li, Zhen Han and Xiaoping Niu extracted the data. Yuliang Jia analyzed the data. Guozheng Zhang and Shunguo Zhang contributed materials/analysis tools. Lin Li and Zhen Han contributed to the writing of the manuscript. Chiyi He proofread the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chiyi He.

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Funding

No sources of funding were used to conduct this study or prepare this manuscript.

Conflict of interest

Dr. Lin Li, Dr. Zhen Han, Dr. Xiaoping Niu, Dr. Guozheng Zhang, Dr. Yuliang Jia, Dr. Shunguo Zhang and Dr. Chiyi He have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

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Li, L., Han, Z., Niu, X. et al. Probiotic Supplementation for Prevention of Atopic Dermatitis in Infants and Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Clin Dermatol 20, 367–377 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-018-0404-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-018-0404-3

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