Probiotic treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children

Treatment of functional bowel disorders of irritable bowel-type (IBS) in children remains a difficult task because of a lack of drugs with low adverse event profile. We here report the results of a treatment study in 203 children (66 boys and 137 girls) age 4 to 18 years (mean: 10.5±4.5 years) with typical IBS symptoms with abdominal pain and either predominant diarrhea (n=50), constipation (n=56), alternating stool frequency (n=28) or unspecific pain (n=69). The average duration of symptoms prior to therapy was 175 days. Most (95%) patients up to age 11 were treated with a daily dose of 10 drops of Symbioflor 2 (SF2) (SymbioPharm, Herborn) (cells and autolysate of 1.5–4.5x10(7) CFU of bacteria of Escherichia coli type), in the elder children 77% received this dosage, while the remaining received a higher dose up to 30 drops/day. Treatment lasted 43 days on average. Results: All patients tolerated the treatment well and without adverse events. The key IBS symptoms (abdominal pain, stool frequency) as well as the other symptoms (bloating, mucous and blood in stool, need for straining at stools, urge to defecate) improved significantly during treatment. Global assessment of therapy by parents and doctors was altogether positive. In summary these data confirm efficacy and tolerability of this probiotic compound in children and adolescents and supplement published data of probiotic IBS therapy in adults.