An experience of using <i>S. boulardii</i> in therapy of irritable bowel syndrome
The objective. To assess the influence of <i>Saccharomyces boulardii</i> on the severity of clinical symptoms and the quality of life indices in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients and methods. 52 patients who had IBS with diarrhea and with constipation (according to the Rome III Criteria) received S. boulardii in dose 250 mg 3 times daily for 2 wks. The indices measured included: the quality of life indices (IBSQoL, BEST index), binary scale of complaints (abdominal pain, abdominal distension, tenesmus, stool frequency, feeling of incomplete bowel emptying), the Bristol Stool Scale indices, findings of lactulose hydrogen breath test (transit time, hydrogen level). Results. After intake of the drug no significant difference in transit time and hydrogen level in exhaled air was found. Quality of life index (IBSQoL) increased by 17%, severity index decreased by 15% (p < 0.001), mean values of the Bristol Stool Scale increased in patients with IBS-C (from 2.3 to 3.3, p < 0.05) and decreased in patients with IBS-D (from 4.8 to 3.5, p < 0.01 ). Marked dynamics of individual complaints characteristic for IBS was noted, namely: abdominal pain troubled 86% of patients before and 9% after treatment, percentage of patients complaining of bloating decreased from 95 to 22%, of tenesmus - from 22 to 0%, of incomplete bowel emptying from 54 to 9%. All the patients reported of good tolerance of S. boulardii. Conclusion. Therefore, as has been demonstrated, use of <i>S. boulardii</i> for 14 days brings about a significant increase of the quality of life indices in patients with both variants of IBS and has a considerable effect on stool frequency and its qualitative parameters.