Efficacy of Saccharomyces Boulardii in Pediatrics with Functional Abdominal Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Considerable increase in gut motility after probiotic supplementation consumption is indicated in recent studies. The present study conducted to clarify whether supplementation with Saccharomyces boulardii can palliate the abdominal pain frequency in children with Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP). Methods: The present clinical trial was conducted on children referred to the Pediatric Departments of the Imam Khomeini hospital, Ilam, Iran, and Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran. The patients were randomized to receive either 250 mg oral supplementation of Saccharomyces boulardii, Zist Takhmir Company, or placebo, twice daily for 3 weeks before the first clinical assessment. The intensity of the symptoms were evaluated using the OUCHER PAIN scale. Results: A total of 104 FAP children with a mean age of 9.51±3.52 years enrolled in the study. 52 of them were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 52 patients were assigned to the placebo group. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the treatment with Saccharomyces boulardii was effective after the 1st week of the study. (P-value=0.001) Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, our investigation is the first trial, assessing the correlation between taking Saccharomyces boulardii and symptom reduction in FAP children through its probiotic effects. This disorder can be considered as a multifactorial disease, which further investigations are needed to figure out its risk factors and treatment modalities.