Background: Perinatal probiotics supplementation has been shown to be effective in the primary prevention\nof atopic dermatitis (AD) in early childhood, although the long term effects of probiotics on AD and other\nallergic diseases is less certain. We have previously reported a significant reduction in the cumulative\nincidence of AD at 2 years after maternal probiotic supplementation. In this study we present the effects\nof perinatal probiotics given to women from a general population on allergy related diseases in their offspring\nat 6 years.\nMethods: Four hundred and fifteen pregnant women were randomised to receive probiotic or placebo milk in\na double-blinded trial from 36 week gestation until 3 months postpartum. Probiotic milk contained Lactobacillus\nrhamnosos GG, L. acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12. At 6 years, children were\nre-assessed for AD, atopic sensitisation, asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC).\nResults: At 6 years, 81 and 82 children were assessed for AD in the probiotic and placebo groups, respectively.\nIn a multiple imputation analysis, there was as trend towards a lower cumulative incidence of AD in the\nprobiotic group compared to the placebo group (OR 0.64, 95 % CI 0.39-1.07, p = 0.086; NNT = 10). This finding\nwas statistically significantly in the complete case analysis (OR 0.48, 95 % CI 0.25-0.92, p = 0.027, NNT = 6). The\nprevalence of asthma and atopic sensitisation, and the cumulative incidence of ARC were not significantly\naffected by the probiotic regime at 6 years of age.\nConclusions: Maternal probiotic ingestion alone may be sufficient for long term reduction in the cumulative\nincidence of AD, but not other allergy related diseases.
Loading....