©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 14, 2015; 21(10): 3072-3084
Published online Mar 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i10.3072
Published online Mar 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i10.3072
Effectiveness of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: Updated systematic review with meta-analysis
Tina Didari, Shilan Mozaffari, Mohammad Abdollahi, Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
Shekoufeh Nikfar, Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Policy Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
Author contributions: Didari T, Mozaffari S, Nikfar S and Abdollahi M reviewed the literature, performed analyses, and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest: Authors declare no conflict of interest.
Correspondence to: Mohammad Abdollahi, Professor, Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Pour Sina Str., Tehran 1417614411, Iran. mohammad@tums.ac.ir
Telephone: +98-21-64122319 Fax: +98-21-64122319
Received: June 3, 2014
Peer-review started: June 4, 2014
First decision: July 9, 2014
Revised: July 24, 2014
Accepted: September 29, 2014
Article in press: September 30, 2014
Published online: March 14, 2015
Processing time: 285 Days and 20.6 Hours
Peer-review started: June 4, 2014
First decision: July 9, 2014
Revised: July 24, 2014
Accepted: September 29, 2014
Article in press: September 30, 2014
Published online: March 14, 2015
Processing time: 285 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal tract dysfunction with a complicated etiology. Probiotics may influence IBS symptoms. The present meta-analysis included 1793 patients with all subtypes of IBS from 15 randomized, double-blind clinical trials conducted during 2007-2013. The current and previous meta-analyses are mainly limited by the use of different scales to analyze the mean differences of symptoms among various studies. Thus, further clinical trials are still needed to conclude the effectiveness of probiotics on specific major IBS symptoms of patients. Probiotics may have a beneficial therapeutic role in IBS patients.