Probiotics in infancy do not reduce incidence of eczema

(HealthDay)—Probiotic administration during the first six months of life does not reduce the incidence of eczema at 2 years of age or asthma at 5 years of age, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in Pediatrics.

Michael D. Cabana, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) supplementation on the cumulative incidence of eczema and asthma and rhinitis in high-risk infants. Ninety-two intervention infants received a daily dose of 10 billion colony-forming units of LGG and 225 mg of insulin for the first six months of life, while 92 control infants received 325 mg insulin alone for the first six months of life.

The researchers found that the estimated cumulative incidence of eczema was 30.9 and 28.7 percent in the control and LGG arms at 2 years of age, respectively, for a hazard ratio of 0.95 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.53). The cumulative incidence of asthma was 17.4 and 9.7 percent in the control and LGG arms at age 5 years, respectively, for a hazard ratio of 0.88 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.41 to 1.87).

"For high-risk infants, early LGG supplementation for the first six months of life does not appear to prevent the development of eczema or asthma at 2 years of age," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical and nutrition industries.