Effectiveness of Prebiotic in Atopic Dermatitis Reduction in 7-24 Months Old Children Living in Isfahan

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent medical condition in infancy with the prevalency of near 10 to 25% in western countries. Current standard of care for atopic dermatitis can lead to many complications. There is a need for alternative treatments with lower risks of side effects. Recent studies have shown a positive effect of prebiotics in prevention and treatment of the disease. The main objective of this study was to determine whether consumption of prebiotics can reduce the severity of atopic dermatitis in 7-24 months old children in Isfahan.

In a double blind controlled clinical trial study, 70 atopic dermatitis children were divided by simple random sampling into treated group receiving prebiotic (fructooligosaccharid + inulin) and control group receiving placebo (dextrin powder) for 3 months. At the beginning and at the end of intervention, SCORAD test questionnaire was completed for all children by a physician. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software, using student-t and paired-t tests. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

The difference between total SCORAD indices before intervention in the treated and control groups was not statistically significant (53.9 ± 23.6 and 43.4 ± 20.9, respectively). After intervention, these values were reduced in the treated and control groups, but the difference between the means of the two groups was statistically significant (4.3 ± 9.6 and 19.4 ± 13.0, repectively; P < 0.001).

Prebiotic substances have positive roles in adjutant treatment of atopic dermatitis.