Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic Dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, is a chronic inflammatory, relapsing, and non-contagious skin disease that is known to affect ≈20% of children in both developed and developing countries (Shaw et al., 2011; Deckers et al., 2012). AD represents one’s first allergic reaction encountered in childhood and is recognized as a precursor for the development of a series of hypersensitivity reactions such as food allergies, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.
Current analysis of the role of probiotics in the prevention of AD reveals that a positive effect may be related to the type of probiotic strain used, the method of administration, onset time, as well as the dose size and duration of treatment.
Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
Lancet. 2001 Apr 7;357(9262):1076-9.
Reversal of the progressive increase in frequency of atopic disease would be an important breakthrough for health care and wellbeing in western societies. In the hygiene hypothesis this increase is attributed to reduced microbial exposure in early life. Probiotics are cultures of potentially beneficial bacteria of the healthy gut microflora. Lactobacillus GG was effective in prevention of early atopic disease in children at high risk. Thus, gut microflora might be a hitherto unexplored source of natural immunomodulators and probiotics, for prevention of atopic disease.
Perinatal probiotic supplementation in the prevention of allergy related disease: 6 year follow up of a randomised controlled trial.
BMC Dermatol. 2015 Aug 1;15:13
Perinatal probiotics supplementation has been shown to be effective in the primary prevention of atopic dermatitis (AD) in early childhood. Maternal probiotic ingestion alone may be sufficient for long term reduction in the cumulative incidence of AD, but not other allergy related diseases.
Probiotics in pregnant women to prevent allergic disease: a randomized, double-blind trial.
Br J Dermatol. 2010 Sep;163(3):616-23
In a randomized, double-blind trial of children from a nonselected maternal population,women received probiotic milk or placebo from 36 weeks of gestation to 3 months postnatally during breastfeeding. The probiotic milk contained Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, L. acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12. Children with an itchy rash for more than 4 weeks were assessed for AD. At 2 years of age, all children were assessed for atopic sensitization, AD, asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.