What are the indications for using probiotics in children?

Abstract

The health benefits of probiotics have been the subject of extensive research. Still, some questions are being repeatedly asked: should one use or not use probiotics? If yes, how and when should probiotics be used? The purpose of this review is to summarise current evidence on specific probiotics' efficacy and safety to help healthcare professionals make evidence-based decisions on the indications for using specific probiotic strains or combinations in children. To identify relevant data, searches of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases were performed in July 2015 to locate randomised controlled trials or their meta-analyses published in the last five years. The MEDLINE database also was searched for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, developed by scientific societies. Considering that probiotics have strain-specific effects, the main focus was on data on individual probiotic strains, not on probiotics in general.

Effects of infant formula composition on long-term metabolic health

“…The efficacy of specific probiotics has been demonstrated for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis and the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and nosocomial diarrhoea in infants and children. [164][165][166] The long-term effects of early probiotic consumption on growth have been investigated in a few studies 2-13 years after the intervention. No effect of supplementation with L. rhamnosus GG or L. fermentum CECT5716 in the first months of life was observed on growth and microbiota composition at 2, 167 3, 168 5 169 and 13 years.…”

Microbiota and neurologic diseases: potential effects of probiotics

“…Two new cases of Lactobacillus sepsis have been reported in newborns [ 118 ] and, although they are rare, previous cases have also been identified. One occurred in a 6-year-old child with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and a seizure disorder [ 119 , 120 ]. While neurologic diseases are not among the known conditions associated with increased risk of probiotic-induced sepsis, we cannot exclude the possibility that patients with severe neurologic conditions may be at greater risk of adverse effects.…”

Drug development and acute gastrointestinal infections

“…With the growing recognition that the gut microbiota has both short-and long-term effects on health, the gut microbiota is a target for improving outcomes in subjects affected or at risk for certain diseases. To date, modification of gut microbiota via the provision of probiotics and/or prebiotics is the most extensively studied strategy [23].…”