Effects of probiotics for the treatment of atopic dermatitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Background The effects of probiotics on the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) are inconclusive. Objective To determine the clinical effect of probiotics in the management of AD overall and in different age groups. Methods A comprehensive search of databases through December 2013 was performed. For this meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials measuring the treatment effects of probiotics or synbiotics in patients diagnosed with AD were included. The primary outcome was a difference in Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) values between the treatment and placebo groups overall and in different age populations. Results Twenty-five randomized controlled trials (n = 1,599) were available for this meta-analysis. Significant differences in SCORAD values favoring probiotics over the control were observed overall (mean −4.51, 95% confidence interval −6.78 to −2.24), in children 1 to 18 years old (−5.74, 95% confidence interval −7.27 to −4.20), and in adults (−8.26, 95% confidence interval −13.28 to −3.25). However, the effectiveness of probiotics in infants (