Prebiotic supplementation modulates serum immunoglobulin E levels and improves total SCORing atopic dermatitis score in children with atopic dermatitis: a randomized double blind controlled trial

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic disease in children aging from 6 months to 12 years old. Recent studies have shown a positive effect of prebiotics in the prevention and treatment of AD. The mechanism of this effect has not been clearly established. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplementation of prebiotic on serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and total SCORing AD (SCORAD) score in 7-24 months old children with AD. Methods: A total of 70 children with AD in a double-blind controlled clinical trial were randomly divided into two groups. For 3 months, the treated group received prebiotic (inulin + fructooligosaccharide), and the control group received placebo (dextrin powder). At the beginning and at the end of the intervention, the SCORAD test questionnaire was completed for all children by a physician and serum levels of IgE were determined. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS Ver. 18 software, using independent and paired t-tests and regression analysis. A p 0.050 was considered statistically significant. Results: The total SCORAD score and serum IgE levels before intervention were similar in the treated and control groups, and no correlation was found between these variables. The intervention resulted in a significant improvement in the total SCORAD score in the treatment group compared to control group (p 0.001). Moreover, prebiotic supplementation resulted in significant decrease in serum IgE levels in the treated compared to control group (p 0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between total SCORAD score and serum IgE levels in the intervention group (r2 = 0.20; p 0.001). Conclusion: Prebiotic supplementation may have beneficial effects on serum IgE, which may improve SCORAD. Our findings suggest prebiotic consumption as an adjuvant treatment of dermatitis.