Eczema Incidence Not Reduced With Probiotics in Infancy

HealthDay News — Probiotic administration during the first 6 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 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 (HR) of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.59-1.53). The cumulative incidence of asthma was 17.4% and 9.7% in the control and LGG arms at age 5 years, respectively, for a HR of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.41-1.87).

“For high-risk infants, early LGG supplementation for the first 6 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.

Reference

Cabana MD, McKean M, Caughey AB, et al. Early probiotic supplementation for eczema and asthma preventin: a randomized controlled trial [published online August 7, 2017]. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3000