Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Jan 8:13:1323521.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1323521. eCollection 2023.

Probiotics for functional constipation in children: an overview of overlapping systematic reviews

Yunxin Zhang #  1 , Aiping Li #  2 , Jing Qiu  3 , Hua Wen  1 , Hanwen Zhang  3 , Xiangjuan Sun  1
Affiliations
Review

Probiotics for functional constipation in children: an overview of overlapping systematic reviews

Yunxin Zhang et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Background: This overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis (MAs) aimed to systematically collate, appraise and synthesize evidence of probiotics for functional constipation (FC) in children.

Methods: SRs/MAs of probiotics for FC in children were systematic identified by searching Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of science. Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were unitized by two reviewers independently to assess the methodological quality, reporting quality, and quality of evidence, respectively.

Results: Seven SRs/MAs met the eligibility criteria and were included in this study. According to AMSTAR-2, a very low methodological quality assessment was given to the included SRs/MAs due to the limitations of items 2, 4 and 7. For the PRISMA statement, the overall quality of reporting was unsatisfactory due to the lack of reporting on protocol, risk of bias across studies, synthesis of results, and additional analysis. According to GRADE, the quality of evidence for outcomes was rated as very low to moderate.

Conclusions: Probiotics may be beneficial in improving FC in children. Because of limitations and inconsistent conclusions, further rigorous, normative and comprehensive SRs/MAs are needed to provide robust evidence for definitive conclusions.

Keywords: children; evidence; functional constipation; overview; probiotics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Publication selection procedure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Banaszkewicz A., Szajewska H. (2005). Inefectiveness of lactobacillus GG as an adjunct to lactulose for the treatment of constipation in children: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. J. Pediatr. 146, 364–369. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.022 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bongers M. E., van Wijk M. P., Reitsma J. B., Benninga M. A. (2010). Long-term prognosis for childhood constipation: clinical outcomes in adulthood. Pediatrics 126 (1), e156e62. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Caputi V., Marsilio I., Filpa V., Cerantola S., Orso G., Bistoletti M., et al. (2017). Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis of the microbiota impairs gut neuromuscular function in juvenile mice. Br. J. Pharmacol. 174, 3623–3639. doi: 10.1111/bph.13965 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chmielewska A., Szajewska H. (2010). Systematic review of randomised controlled trials: probiotics for functional constipation. World J. Gastroenterol. 16 (1), 69–75. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i1.69 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dimidi E., Christodoulides S., Scott S. M., Whelan K. (2017). Mechanisms of action of probiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota on gut motility and constipation. Adv. Nutr. 8 (3), 484e94. doi: 10.3945/an.116.014407 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types