This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at how probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics affect children under 18 years old with allergic rhinitis. The researchers combined data from 1,739 children across multiple studies to see if these supplements helped with symptoms. They compared the supplements against a placebo, which is an inactive treatment used as a control.
The analysis showed a significant reduction in nasal symptom scores and eye symptom scores for children taking the supplements. Quality of life also improved significantly in the group receiving these interventions. These results suggest that these supplements might help manage the day-to-day discomfort associated with allergic rhinitis.
However, the study has important limitations. There was substantial heterogeneity, meaning the studies were very different from one another, which makes the overall picture less clear. Additionally, the supplements showed no consistent beneficial effects on immunological markers like serum eosinophils. Because of these differences and the nature of the data, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Further high-quality, standardized trials are needed to confirm these results before they can change medical practice.
