Volume 28, Issue 149, July 2024

Is there a role for probiotics in prevention and treatment of allergic diseases in children? – review of literature

Aleksandra Kublińska^1♦, Roksana Zdunek², Sylwia Mazur³, Natalia Dąbrowskasup>4, Karolina Strussup>5, Emilia Nagórskasup>6, Magdalena Maderasup>7, Aleksy Bizansup>8, Agata Mazursup>9, Krzysztof Marcinkowskisup>10

¹Czerniakowski Hospital, Stępińska 19/25, 00-739 Warsaw, Poland
²Miedzylesie Specialist Hospital in Warsaw, Bursztynowa 2, 04-749 Warsaw, Poland
³The Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital, Williama Heerleina Lindleya 4, 02-005 Warsaw, Poland
⁴Independent Public Complex of Health Care Facilities in Pruszków; aleja Armii Krajowej 2/4, 05-800 Pruszków, Poland
⁵Independent Public Specialist Western Hospital named after St John Paul II, Daleka 11, 05-825 Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland
⁶Czerniakowski Hospital, Stępińska 19/25, 00-739 Warsaw, Poland
⁷The University Clinical Hospital named after F. Chopin in Rzeszow, Fryderyka Szopena 2, 35-055 Rzeszów, Poland
⁸Medical Center of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Miodowa 2, 05-100 Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland
⁹Military Institute of Medicine - National Research Institute, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland
¹⁰Independent Public Hospital them. prof. W. Orlowski Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education, Czerniakowska 231 Street, 00-416 Warsaw, Poland

^♦Corresponding Author
Czerniakowski Hospital, Stępińska 19/25, 00-739 Warsaw, Poland

ABSTRACT

Allergic diseases in the pediatric population are a significant burden to healthcare systems, families, and children themselves. They decrease patients’ quality of life. Some allergic conditions are life-threatening. Therefore, it is vital to investigate new pathways that could facilitate their treatment and prevention. This review gathers information from recent studies regarding probiotics as an additive therapy in allergic bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and food allergy. In light of the increasing prevalence of atopic diseases among children worldwide the “Hygiene hypothesis” gained interest among scientists. It associates the rising incidence of allergies with limited exposure to the natural environment and infectious diseases in early childhood. This absence of immune stimulation presumably causes immunity dysregulation and hyperresponsiveness, resulting in atopy. Probiotics supplementation, aiming to enrich the gut microbiota, has become a field of research. There is hope that a more diverse and abundant microbiome will result in immunity maturation and immunotolerance. Outcomes of conducted trials in the subject vary from apparent preventive or alleviating symptoms effect to no significant difference noted. The authors point out that there should be more research focused on single bacterial strains in a specific disease, precise dosage, and administration period. Overall, taking into account the latest reports, there are more and more studies that show the beneficial effects of probiotics on allergic diseases. However, there is not enough evidence to make recommendations regarding their routine use.

Keywords: Allergy; probiotics; hygiene; microbiota

Medical Science, 2024, 28, e83ms3390

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v28i149.e83ms3390

Published: 29 July 2024