Very commonly prescribed, probiotics would ultimately be useless in young children with gastroenteritis.
Probiotics are useless in young children with gastroenteritis, according to two studies (see here and the) conducted in several US and Canadian hospitals. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, they analyzed the medical paths of more than 1,800 children who presented to the emergency room because of stomach flu, or more precisely “acute infectious gastroenteritis”. The little ones were between 3 months and 4 years old.
No difference between the two treatments
To test the preventive capacity, a first group of patients was prescribed probiotics for five days, while another received only a placebo. “Participants received 5 days of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or a matching placebo,” the researchers report. Results: in the days that followed, no difference between the two treatments was observed by the researchers. The duration of vomiting, diarrhoea, absenteeism at the crèche and the persistence of symptoms of gastroenteritis were not reduced by taking probiotics.
In terms of aiding recovery, probiotics were also not effective. “In children who presented to the emergency department with gastroenteritis, twice daily administration of a combined probiotic L. rhamnosus-L. helveticus did not prevent the development of moderate to severe gastroenteritis in the 14 days following recruitment”, conclude the researchers. Nevertheless, probiotics remain “effective in treating or preventing various forms of acute and chronic diarrhea”, specifies the doctor Thomas LaMont in an editorial.
Their action in adults has also been questioned.
Discovered in the last century, probiotics are living micro-organisms present in certain drinks, cereals and dairy products. The WHO defines them as “bacteria or yeasts which, ingested in sufficient quantity, improve the health of the host by balancing the intestinal flora”. Recently, their action in adults has also been called into question.
According to the sentinel network, cases of gastroenteritis are on the rise. At regional level, the highest incidence rates were observed in Hauts-de-France (251 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Ile-de-France (242 cases) and Pays de la Loire (218 case)*. In France, the incidence rate of cases of gastroenteritis seen in general medicine consultations was estimated at 154 cases per 100,000 inhabitants last week, i.e. still below the epidemic threshold (158 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). , but health professionals expect a significant increase in the coming days.
Why go to the emergency room
Acute gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract responsible for diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Fever and pimples may also appear. The main danger lies in dehydration, especially in children and the elderly, hence the need to consult a doctor, or, if he is not available, to go to the emergency room.
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