Italian guidelines for the management of IBS
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic and often debilitating disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), formerly known as functional gastrointestinal disorder. Experts from 7 Italian Societies conducted a Delphi consensus with a literature summary and a voting process on 27 statements.
About probiotics: The results of meta-analysis and RCTs suggest that probiotics as a group may be effective in the management of global IBS symptoms. However, specific recommendations cannot be given due to different study designs (including different comparators, inclusion criteria, comorbidity, outcomes and endpoints), various strains, formulations, combinations, or a mixture of probiotics assessed, and heterogeneity among studies. In addition, there is enough evidence to suggest that changes in the gut microbiota ecosystem may play an important role in the pathophysiology of IBS.
It is also mentioned that other therapeutic modulators of the gut microbiota, such as probiotics and prebiotics, have beneficial effects in patients with IBS.