High doses of probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that naturally lives in the intestinal tract, help control pouchitis, an inflammation of the small intestine common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, a new study reports. To summarize:
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As many as 50% of patients who undergo surgery for ulcerative colitis, develop pouchitis afterwards
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Symptoms of pouchitis include:
- frequent and urgent bowel movements
- abdominal cramping
- bleeding
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fever
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Most cases of pouchitis respond well temporarily to treatment with antibiotics, but the condition recurs 2 out of 3 times.
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Pouchitis has been linked to reduced levels of some bacteria normally found in the intestinal tract.
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In the study, 20 patients with chronic pouchitis received high-dose probiotics, while a 'control' group of another 20 patients received a placebo.
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Throughout the 9 months of treatment, 85% of the probiotic group remained symptom-free, as determined with endoscopies and histological testing every 2 months.
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All 20 people in the placebo group relapsed.
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The probiotic preparation used contained 500 billion organisms per gram including 4 strains of lactobacilli, 3 strains of bifidobacteria, and 1 strain of Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus
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Patients each received 6 grams daily of the probiotic.
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Fecal concentration of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and S. thermophilus increased significantly in those taking the probiotics.
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Benefits of the probiotics lasted only as long as patients continued taking them, with all patients relapsing within 4 months of discontinuation.
The researchers state that long-term use of the probiotics is safe. "Because it is a more natural therapy that enhances the body's normal protective factors, it has no side effects and can be administered for years."
Gastroenterology August 2000;119:305-309