Background: Recurrent Abdominal Pains (RAP) is one of the frequent complaints in general practice, particularly in pediatrics and is among the common cause of referral to gastroenterology clinics. Purpose: This study is designed to investigate the effects of probiotics for the treatment of RAP and desired therapeutic outcomes. Methods: 125 children with the diagnosis of RAP according to Rome III criteria for IBS, Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP), Functional Dyspepsia (FD) and Abdominal Migraine (AM), were enrolled in this double-blind randomized controlled trial. Results: 65 subjects received probiotics, and others received placebo treatment for 4 weeks. Lactobacillus Reuteri was therapeutically effective in 32 patients compared to 8 patients, responding to the placebo treatment. Compared to baseline, all pain-related variables showed a significant reduction for the IBS and FD at the end of the 4th week. However, it did not respond well in FAP and AM groups. Pain-related outcomes such as, frequency of the pain, severity and duration of the pain were decreased following the probiotic treatment. No therapeutic response was seen in AM group after the administration of probiotics. Lactobacillus Reuteri significantly led to pain relief in the overall population, and also in FAP, FD and IBS subgroups. Conclusion: Lactobacillus Reuteri probiotics are likely to lead to RAP relief and can be recommended for the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders.
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