Braegger
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Kinderspital Zürich: Medizinische Klinik » Gastroenterologie und Ernährung, Abteilung » Prof. Dr. Christian Braegger » Braegger
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Prebiotics in the Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea (AAD) in Children: A European Multi-Center Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | A common side effect of antibiotic treatment is antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) defined as otherwise unexplained diarrhea that occurs in association with the administration of antibiotics. In the pediatric population, AAD occurs in approximately 11-40% of children between the initiation of therapy and up to 2 months after cessation of treatment. Although no infectious agent is found in most cases, the bacterial agent commonly associated with AAD, particularly in the most severe episodes (pseudomembranous colitis), is Clostridium difficile. Almost all antibiotics, particularly those active against anaerobes, can cause diarrhea, but the risk seems to be higher with aminopenicillins, the combination of aminopenicillins and clavulanate, cephalosporins, and clindamycin. Preventive measures include the use of probiotics, which are live microbial food ingredients that are beneficial to health. The rationale for the use of probiotics in AAD is based on the assumption that the use of antibiotics leads to a disturbance in the normal intestinal microflora and that this is a key factor in the pathogenesis of AAD. Indeed, at least 4 systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) have shown that some probiotic strains are effective in preventing AAD. In children, recent meta-analysis showed that probiotics reduce the risk of AAD in children. For every 7 patients that would develop diarrhea while being treated with antibiotics, one fewer will develop AAD if also receiving probiotics. Modification of the intestinal microbiota can be also achieved by the use of prebiotics, which are non-digestible food components that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thereby improve host health. At present, it is unclear whether prebiotics are effective in the prevention of AAD as only a limited number of studies is available. The study has been organiszed by the ESPGHAN Working Group on Probiotics and Prebiotics. Study coordinators are: Prof. Hania Szajewska, Warsaw, Poland Prof. Zvi Weizman, Beer-Sheva, Israel |
||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), prebiotics, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), intestinal microbiota | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
|
||||||
| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
No project-specific funding |
||||||
| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
|
||||||
| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Aug 2008 to Sep 2010 |