Shehla Usman, Aneela Zareen, Mohsin Ali, Hussan Ali Sarwar, Jamil Azhar, Sabeen Jamal.
Probiotic Prophylaxis in Prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis - a Case Control Study.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;12(4):1623-6.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is thought to be a result of the combination of loss of integrity of the intestinal mucosa and the host response , it is a multifactorial disease. Aim: To determine the efficacy of probiotic use prophylactically in prevention of Necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates as compared to preterm neonates without probiotics. Study design was Randomized controlled trial with duration from: November 6, 2014 to May 6 , 2015. Methods : A total of 278 cases (139 in both groups) of preterm neonates (<37 weeks of gestation) who have not been given enteral feed yet of both genders were included in the study from neonatal department, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, in Sheikh zayed hospital, Lahore. Parents were informed and written consent was taken. Neonates were randomly assigned to group A and group B each containing 139 preterm neonates by lottery method. Group A receiving probiotics combination, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium BB-12 species 2.5×10 9 cfu (colony forming units) per day with feed as Expressed breast milk(EBM) or formula milk for 05 days and group B receiving only feed as EBM or formula milk. Neonates in both groups were observed for signs and symptoms of NEC during their stay in the hospital at day 5 of prophylactic treatment. Results : Comparison of efficacy in both groups was recorded as 127( 91.37%) in Group-A and 79.86%(n=111) in Group-B while remaining 8.63%(n=12) in Group-A and 20.14%(n=28) in Group-B no findings of efficacy were found , p value was calculated as 0.006 showing a significant difference. Conclusion : This study concluded that the efficacy of probiotics in prevention of Necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates is hig her, significantly.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com