Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24947281›Full record

Trial reportArchives of disease in childhood2014

Probiotics in the prevention of eczema: a randomised controlled trial.

Stephen J Allen, Sue Jordan, Melanie Storey, Catherine A Thornton, Michael B Gravenor, Iveta Garaiova, Susan F Plummer, Duolao Wang, Gareth Morgan

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Archives of disease in childhood, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05747378 (An In-depth Study Assessing Eczema Patients Experiences in Medical Trials), which is not on this map. Cited by 54 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
54citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
15.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05747378 unknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

An In-depth Study Assessing Eczema Patients Experiences in Medical Trials

TypeobservationalSponsorPower Life Sciences Inc.Ran2024 to 2026Enrolled500ConditionsEczema
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

54 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 116 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Probiotics in infants for prevention of allergic disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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  9. Can Mixed Strains ofNutrients · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Stephen J AllenCollege of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Sue JordanCollege of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Melanie StoreyCollege of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Catherine A ThorntonCollege of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Michael B GravenorCollege of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Iveta GaraiovaResearch and Development Department, Cultech Limited, Port Talbot, UK.
Susan F PlummerResearch and Development Department, Cultech Limited, Port Talbot, UK.
Duolao WangLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK.
Gareth MorganCollege of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Swansea University · GBCultech (United Kingdom) · GBLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate a multistrain, high-dose probiotic in the prevention of eczema.

designA randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial. SETTINGS: Antenatal clinics, research clinic, children at home. PATIENTS: Pregnant women and their infants.

interventionsWomen from 36 weeks gestation and their infants to age 6 months received daily either the probiotic (Lactobacillus salivarius CUL61, Lactobacillus paracasei CUL08, Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis CUL34 and Bifidobacterium bifidum CUL20; total of 10(10) organisms/day) or matching placebo.

main outcome measureDiagnosed eczema at age 2 years. Infants were followed up by questionnaire. Clinical examination and skin prick tests to common allergens were done at 6 months and 2 years.

resultsThe cumulative frequency of diagnosed eczema at 2 years was similar in the probiotic (73/214, 34.1%) and placebo arms (72/222, 32.4%; OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.6). Among the secondary outcomes, the cumulative frequency of skin prick sensitivity at 2 years was reduced in the probiotic (18/171; 10.5%) compared with the placebo arm (32/173; 18.5%; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.98). The statistically significant differences between the arms were mainly in sensitisation to cow's milk and hen's egg proteins at 6 months. Atopic eczema occurred in 9/171 (5.3%) children in the probiotic arm and 21/173 (12.1%) in the placebo arm (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.91).

conclusionsThe study did not provide evidence that the probiotic either prevented eczema during the study or reduced its severity. However, the probiotic seemed to prevent atopic sensitisation to common food allergens and so reduce the incidence of atopic eczema in early childhood. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN26287422.

Indexed as

AdultChildChild, PreschoolDouble-Blind MethodEczemaFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornMalePregnancyProbioticsSkin TestsSurveys and QuestionnairesAllergyDermatologyMicrobiology

Identifiers

PMID24947281
PMCPMC4215350
OpenAlexW2119909329

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.