In 2008 recent meta-analysis published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reported that probiotics were seen to reduce the effects of AD in more than half of the ten studies analysed.
There is currently no efficient treatment for AD – an inflammatory, non-contagious, relapsing skin disorder which is thought to affect one in 20 school children in Western Europe. Current measures include anti-inflammatory preparations and trying to identify any irritant factors, however one in three children will retain the condition in adulthood.
The company set out to test its probiotic Lacidofil in young children with AD and cow’s milk allergy. The results of the study, led by Dr Chernyshov of Ukraine’s Medical University, were presented at the Joint International Symposium New Trends in Allergy VII and the 6th Rajka Symposium on Atopic Dermatitis in Munich last month.
The company says the study involved 58 children under the age of four years. All the children were teated with emollient cream and a bath preparation, while 30 also received one Lacidofil capsule a day for a month. The other 18 received a placebo.
The Lacidofil capsule contains a combination of Lactobacillus Rosell-11 and Lactobacillus Rosell-52 strains, and about 2 billion probiotic bacteria in total.
Dr Chernyshov used the SCORAD index to assess severity of AD, and also measured immunological parametres at day 0 and day 30.
Sixty three per cent of the children taking the probiotics were seen to have a marked reduction in AD severity, compared to 32.1 per cent of those in the placebo group.
Not only did those taking the probiotic tend to use less steroid cream, but those who used none at all also saw a reduction in AD severity.
A significant decrease of T-cells potentially associated with AD was observed, as well as an increase in IgG4, a subtype of antibodies directed against cow milk allergen and considered a marker for immune tolerance.
“Emollients and probiotics have different modes of action and could be combined with each other and with other medications in AD patients. Solutions with potential steroid-sparing effect in AD patients are extremely important,” the company quotes the researchers as saying.