Use of Probiotics in Infants with Cow’s Milk Allergy: A randomized, placebo controlled trial

Abstract

Background: One of the most common food allergies in infants is cow’s milk allergy (CMA). There is no available effective therapeutic strategy for this issue. It's important to develop effective approaches to reduce the risk of cow’s milk allergy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of probiotics in infants with cow’s milk protein intolerance. Materials and methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial in full-term infants with CMA diagnosis. These patients were divided into case and control groups (receiving placebo and probiotic). Clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and etc. were evaluated in 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after receiving probiotics. Results: During 16 weeks of the study, a significant decrease was observed in clinical and paraclinical findings in both groups. There was a statistically significant decrease in times of mucosal, bloody and daily defecation of patients on 4th, 8th and 12th week. Also, a significant difference was found between both groups for diarrhea and abdominal cramps from the 4th week. Conclusion: The consumption of probiotics for a short time in infants with CMA significantly decreased the clinical and paraclinical symptoms.