Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Constipation in Patients with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Children with severe generalized cerebral palsy (CP) often experience comorbidities, among which constipation is common. In such children, constipation is generally believed to be the result of both neurological and lifestyle factors. Probiotics are live micro-organisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate dosages, which have been extensively studied for treatment of many GI disorders. The aim of the current study was to Determining the effect of lactobacillus oral supplementation in the management of constipation in children with cerebral palsy and on the growth of stool lactobacilli. This study was conducted as prospective study in the period from May to November, 2013. Participants were randomly recruited after fulfilling the inclusion criteria from the Pediatrics Neurology Clinic, Children's hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University after obtaining an oral consent from their care givers. Fifty seven patients with cerebral palsy were recruited who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Seven patients dropped out along the course of the 5 weeks study period. All the participating patients had quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and all of them were not toilet trained. The follow-up protocol included defecation frequency per week, stool consistency (the stool consistency was characterized using the Bristol stool Form scale (table 2) stool hardness is classified from 1 to 7 according to the stool’s appearance. The presence or absence of a large palpable stool was assessed by abdominal palpation during the physical examination.