What Could be the Role of Probiotics in Atopic Dermatatis?

Introduction: With the prevalence of between 10-20% atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic diseases in infants and young children. AD is characterized by itching and recurrent lesions. Mixtures of probiotics, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG strain in the first place, significantly decreased the risk of AD if given pre- and postnatally.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of oral supplementation with LGG in infancy on eczema development and symptoms severity during the first 2 years of life.

Material and methods: The study was a real life controlled observational study that included 96 patients (52 infants were treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus combined with vitamin D3 and zinc, while the rest were advised to use only symptomatic treatment).All children was referred to our clinic due to early life atopic condition and high risk family history positive on atopy.At study entry SCORAD index was defined as well as after 3 and 6 months, respectively.

Results: At the baseline, the infants in the experimental group had higher SCORAD values. During the follow up period a significant reduction in SCORAD index was observed only in the group of participants who were treated with probiotics. They also used less topical treatments and antihistamines.

Conclusion: This study has found that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) formulation with zinc and vitamin D3 supplementation during the postnatal period (in infancy and early childhood) reduce the severity of atopic dermatitis. Based on the findings, it is recommended to introduce probiotic supplementation as well as vitamin D3 and zinc in infants and children with atopic dermatitis and positive family history.