LAUSR

Background Diarrhea is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Probiotics have been studied as an alternative and adjunct treatment for diarrhea in children. Selected Lactobacillus strains have shown to reduce the severity and duration of diarrhea. However, there are no studies on the effect of probiotic use in HIV patients with diarrhea. This study analyzes the effect of probiotics on the immune function of HIV patients with diarrhea. Methods A comprehensive, computerized literature search from PubMed Central, Embase, Cochrane Library, and OVID was performed with the following search terms: probiotics, human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency disease, diarrhea and gastroenteritis. Two randomized controlled trials (RCT) were selected and validated using GRADE criteria. Trial results were combined under a random-effects model. The Cochrane Review Manager Software version 5.3 was used for all analyses. Results Two RCT comprising 127 patients were analyzed. In the random-effects model, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of diarrhea was 0.53; 95% CI (0.16–1.80) with homogeneity at I2 = 41%. The pooled data of the two studies showed a trend towards a beneficial effect of probiotics and resolution of diarrhea but did not show a protective effect of the probiotic. Conclusions There is no clear association on the effect of probiotics and diarrhea in HIV patients. This meta-analysis confirms the need for further studies on examining the relationship of probiotics and HIV-related diarrhea.