Network meta-analysis of probiotics to prevent respiratory infections in children and adolescents

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#adolescent #child #humans #probiotics #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic

Network meta-analysis of probiotics to prevent respiratory infections in children and adolescents

Amaral et al., 2017 | Pediatr Pulmonol | Systematic Review

Citation

Amaral Marina Azambuja, Guedes Gabriela Helena Barbosa Ferreira, ... Mattiello Rita. Network meta-analysis of probiotics to prevent respiratory infections in children and adolescents. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017-Jun;52(6):833-843. doi:10.1002/ppul.23643

Abstract

Probiotics have emerged as a promising intervention for the prevention of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children. Assess the effect of probiotics on prevention of RTIs in children and adolescents. MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, SCIELO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Key words: "respiratory tract infections" AND probiotics. Randomized controlled trials RCT assessing the effect of probiotics on RTIs in children and adolescents were included. Two reviewers, working independently, to identify studies that met the eligibility criteria. Main and secondary outcomes were RTIs and adverse effects, respectively. Twenty-one trials with 6.603 participants were included. Pairwise meta-analysis suggested that Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus (LCA) was the only effective probiotic to the rate of RTIs compared to placebo (RR0.38; Crl 0.19-0.45). Network analysis showed that the LCA exhibited 54.7% probability of being classified in first, while the probability of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 (LFC) being last in the ranking was 15.3%. LCA showed no better effect compared to other probiotic strains by indirect analysis. This systematic review found a lack of evidence to support the effect of probiotic on the incidence rate of respiratory infections in children and adolescents. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:833-843. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Key Findings

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 603
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Probiotics
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Respiratory Tract Infections

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review, Network Meta-Analysis
  • Vertical: probiotics

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09