Investigating probiotics for atopic dermatitis Original paper

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by itching and recurrent eczema patches. Despite afflicting 10–20% of children in developed countries, there are few effective and safe treatments for AD. Recent evidence suggests that modulating the gut microbiome may prevent or treat AD in children.

This was a meta-analysis of 24 randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of probiotics on either the prevention (14 trials, 3,049 children) or treatment (10 trials, 758 children) of AD in children. Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium were the most frequently used probiotics, but dosage and duration varied. Single-strain probiotics were used in six trials.

A lower incidence of AD was found in the probiotic groups, compared to placebo groups, particularly for mixed-strain probiotics. Probiotic administration for preventive purposes was the most effective when given to pregnant mothers only, or pregnant mothers and infants, but not when given to infants only. Probiotics also reduced AD symptoms in children over 1 year of age. These results should be interpreted cautiously, as the studies had high heterogeneity, and not all subgroup differences were statistically significant.