Probiotics for treatment of chronic constipation in children

Wallace, Chris; Sinopoulou, Vassiliki; Gordon, Morris; Akobeng, Anthony K; Llanos-Chea, Alejandro; Hungria, Gregory; Febo‐Rodriguez, Liz; Fifi, Amanda; Valdés, L.; Langshaw, Amber; Saps, Miguel

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd014257.pub2

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Other non-pharmacological treatment options such as prebiotics and probiotics, symbiotics, biofeedback, massage therapy, and alternative medicine have not shown to significantly improve defecation frequency [ 89 ]. A recent Cochrane review included 14 studies investigating the role of probiotics and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend probiotics in successfully treating or changing the frequency of defecation [ 90 ].…”

Section: Are There Useful Non-pharmacological Therapies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ten “hard” questions in pediatric functional constipation

Fedele,

Fioretti,

Scarpato

et al. 2024

Ital J Pediatr

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Functional constipation is a common problem in childhood and has a great impact on social, physical, and emotional functioning of affected children and their caregivers. No organic cause of the constipation can be found in approximately 95% of children, defining the “so-called” chronic functional constipation. Its prevalence has been reported to range from 0.7 to 29.6%, with a median of 12%. The diagnosis of functional constipation is exclusively clinical based on the pediatric diagnostic Rome criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders and does not routinely require laboratory and/or radiological investigations. In case of alarm signs and symptoms that may suggest organic diseases, further investigations can be required. The therapeutic management is based on non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Education, demystification of constipation and reward-based toilet training represent the cornerstones of nonpharmacological management. Disimpaction, maintenance treatment and weaning of medication are all elements of pharmacological treatment. Osmotic laxatives, mainly polyethylene glycol (PEG), are considered the first-choice laxative for both disimpaction and maintenance treatment. The aim of this review is to provide pediatric gastroenterologists with a practical tool to support the clinical and therapeutic management of children and adolescents affected by chronic functional constipation.

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Section: Are There Useful Non-pharmacological Therapies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ten “hard” questions in pediatric functional constipation

Fedele,

Fioretti,

Scarpato

et al. 2024

Ital J Pediatr

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“…It showed no difference in health outcomes or adverse effects of probiotics/synbiotics compared with placebo treatments. As such, insufficient evidence exists to link probiotics to improved outcomes for pediatric FC [33].…”

Section: Probioticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Functional Constipation in Clinical Practice: The Continuous Search for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Machado,

Dias,

Hercos

et al. 2023

Arch Gastroenterol Res

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Functional constipation (FC) has a pooled world prevalence of 9.5%, a clear definition by Rome IV Criteria, and the NAPGHAN/ESPGHAN guidelines recommendation for management. With well-defined parameters, this commentary discusses the paths followed by the literature to implement different therapeutic modalities over time. The text will prioritize information based on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or reviews. Recently, an Editorial exploring gastrointestinal diseases across the Lifespan linked constipation as a “vexing issue that, unfortunately, has the potential to impair Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL).” Indeed, The Rome Foundation recommended that HRQOL scores may assist in diagnosis, management, prognosis, and therapeutic decisions. Therefore, it can be helpful for clinicians, psychologists, and researchers and could be used to support health services that want to implement an HRQOL program. The final idea is to propose HRQOL as a secondary outcome for Pediatric FC monitoring this disorder.

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“…Functional constipation (FC) is defined as constipation without organic etiology (Sperber et al., 2021 ), and it is a common disorder in children and adults (Wallace et al., 2022 ). The prevalence has been found to be 15.3% in studies that define FC according to Rome I criteria, 11.2% in studies using Rome II, 11.4% in studies using Rome III, and 10.1% in studies using Rome IV criteria (Barberio et al., 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Xylo‐oligosaccharides improve functional constipation by targeted enrichment of Bifidobacterium

Yi,

Wang,

Xue

et al. 2023

Food Science & Nutrition

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Functional constipation (FC) has a negative impact on patients' quality of life. We hypothesized that dietary supplementation with xylo‐oligosaccharides (XOS) or fructo‐oligosaccharides (FOS) would improve constipation symptoms by influencing the gut microbiota. A randomized double‐blind controlled trial was conducted in FC patients. Patients were randomly divided into 6 groups and given a dietary supplement containing XOS at doses of 3, 5, or 10 g/day, FOS at doses of 10 and 20 g/day, or placebo at 5 g/day for one month. We compared improvements in gastrointestinal function after the intervention using the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score (CCCS), and Quality of Life Scale for Patients with Constipation (PAC‐QoL). 16S rRNA sequencing was used to assess changes in the structure of the gut microbiota. Changes in individual bacteria had significant effects in reducing gastrointestinal symptoms during the intervention, even though the flora structure remained unchanged from baseline. Compared to FOS, XOS enriched Bifidobacterium at a lower dose, and patients receiving XOS supplementation showed significant improvements in constipation symptoms without side effects such as diarrhea and flatulence.

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Probiotics for treatment of chronic constipation in children

Cited by 20 publications

References 42 publications

The ten “hard” questions in pediatric functional constipation

The ten “hard” questions in pediatric functional constipation

Pediatric Functional Constipation in Clinical Practice: The Continuous Search for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Xylo‐oligosaccharides improve functional constipation by targeted enrichment of Bifidobacterium

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