Table 4 The effect of probiotic treatment on the number of, duration of use, severity and combined load of medications usage
Effect of probiotic relative to placebo (mean; 99% CI) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Probiotic group (mean ± SD) | Placebo group (mean ± SD) | Ratio | Difference | Qualitative inference | |
Males | |||||
Number of medication episodes | 0.37 ± 0.72 | 1.26 ± 1.90 | 0.29; 0.04 to 0.89 | Very likely ↓ | |
Total days of medications | 5.0 ± 20.8 | 7.2 ± 14.8 | 0.70; 0.01 to 2.3 | Unclear | |
Mean # of medications per episode | 1.14 ± 0.24 | 1.29 ± 0.44 | -0.15; -0.57 to 0.24 | Possibly trivial | |
Total # of medications | 5.2 ± 20.8 | 9.1 ± 17.3 | 0.57; 0.01 to 3.1 | Unclear | |
Females | |||||
Number of medication episodes | 1.98 ± 2.63 | 1.08 ± 1.32 | 1.83; 0.38 to 6.5 | Possible ↑ | |
Total days of medications | 10.7 ± 18.2 | 5.8 ± 7.9 | 1.86; 0.31 to 8.5 | Likely ↑ | |
Mean # of medications per episode | 1.15 ± 0.24 | 1.53 ± 0.99 | -0.39; -1.32 to 0.24 | Possible ↓ | |
Total # of medications | 12.7 ± 20.9 | 7.4 ± 10.4 | 1.70; 0.27 to 7.8 | Possible ↑ | |