Author/Authors :
AMIRSALARI Susan نويسنده Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology , Najafian Bita نويسنده Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Khosravi Mohammad Hossein نويسنده Students’ Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of
Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran , Afsharpaiman Shahla نويسنده Department of Pediatrics, Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Afsharpaiman Shahla , Torkaman Mohammad نويسنده Faculty of Medicine,Pediatric Department,Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences,Tehran,Iran , Mottaghizadeh Fatemeh نويسنده Students’ Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of
Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
Abstract :
Background Approximately 60% of term and 80% of premature infants
are hospitalized for hyperbilirubinemia in the first week of life.
Hyperbilirubinemia is the most common cause of infant hospitalization
and readmission. Due to the high frequency of hyperbilirubinemia in
infants and the high costs of treatment, it is necessary to find a way
to decrease hospitalization duration. Objectives The aim of this study
is to assess the adjunctive effect of probiotics on decreasing
hospitalization time for infants with hyperbilirubinemia. Methods In
this randomized, controlled clinical trial, 92 term infants with
hyperbilirubinemia who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned
to either the probiotic or control group. Patients in both groups
underwent common phototherapy. Once a day, those in the probiotic group
were also given half of a capsule of Prokid probiotic, while those in
the control group received half of a placebo capsule. The duration of
phototherapy and hospitalization, the blood groups of mothers and
infants, and each patient’s bilirubin levels before and after
phototherapy, direct Coombs test results, and levels of hemoglobin,
G6PD, and reticulocytes were recorded. Results Data from 92 patients
with a mean age of 5.25 ± 2.35 days underwent analysis. The control
group had 47 (51.1%) patients with a mean age of 5.19 ±2 .51 days and
the probiotic group had 45 (48.9%) patients with a mean age of 5.31 ±
2.19 days (P = 0.81). The 92 patients had a mean bilirubin level of
16.70 ± 3.07 mg/dL, with a mean of 16.42 ± 3.53 mg/dL in the control
group and 17.00 ± 2.49 mg/dL in the probiotic group (P = 0.37). The
duration of hospitalization averaged 3.34 ± 0.70 days overall, with an
average of 3.55 ± 0.74 days for the control group and 3.13 ± 0.70 days
for the probiotic group. The probiotic group had a significantly lower
hospitalization stay in comparison to the control group (P = 0.004).
Conclusions Our findings suggest that probiotics may be beneficial as an
adjunct treatment for infants with hyperbilirubinemia by reducing the
duration of hospitalization.
