Association of Probiotics with Atopic Dermatitis among Infant: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Background. Previous studies have explored the relationship between probiotics and risk of atopic dermatitis among infant; however, the results are still inconclusive. We aimed to assess the abovementioned association. Methods. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were retrieved for association between probiotics and atopic dermatitis with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) until Nov 20, 2021. The effect size was pooled by using random or fixed effect models according to the heterogeneity. Stata 12.0 was used for meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis, and bias analysis. Results. At the end of the screening article, 2575 infants were extracted from 8 trials and finally met the qualification criteria. In comparison to placebo, probiotics dramatically reduced incidence of childhood atopic dermatitis ($\text{RR}=0.86$, 95%$\text{CI}=0.78$-0.95). However, probiotics did not exhibit benefit over placebo in preventing the development of either IgE-associated infant AD ($\text{RR}=0.98$, 95%$\text{CI}=0.79$-1.22) or sensitive constitution ($\text{RR}=0.93$, 95%$\text{CI}=0.81$-1.08). From the results of sensitivity and publication bias, we found that these results were robust with little publication bias. Conclusion. During the late stages of pregnancy, women taking probiotics could lower the risk of infantile atopic dermatitis, but not for IgE-associated infant AD or sensitive constitution. The results could provide evidence for the fibrosis. Future studies are needed to confirm the results.