Does Early Probiotic Supplementation Reduce Eczema, Asthma Development? – Monthly Prescribing Reference (registration)

August 08, 2017

Probiotics in first six months of life do not reduce incidence of eczema at age 2, asthma at age 5

HealthDay News Probiotic administration during the first six months of life does not reduce the incidence of eczema at 2 years of age or asthma at 5 years of age, according to a study published online August 7 in Pediatrics.

Michael D. Cabana, MD, MPH, from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) supplementation on the cumulative incidence of eczema and asthma and rhinitis in high-risk infants. Ninety-two intervention infants received a daily dose of 10 billion colony-forming units of LGG and 225mg of insulin for the first 6 months of life, while 92 control infants received 325mg insulin alone for the first 6 months of life.

The researchers found that the estimated cumulative incidence of eczema was 30.9 and 28.7% in the control and LGG arms at 2 years of age, respectively, for a hazard ratio of 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.53). The cumulative incidence of asthma was 17.4 and 9.7% in the control and LGG arms at age 5 years, respectively, for a hazard ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.41 to 1.87).

"For high-risk infants, early LGG supplementation for the first six months of life does not appear to prevent the development of eczema or asthma at 2 years of age," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical and nutrition industries.

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Does Early Probiotic Supplementation Reduce Eczema, Asthma Development? - Monthly Prescribing Reference (registration)