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ConstipationBIOWELLNCT03030664

Effect of L. Reuteri on Bowel Movements in Children (BIOWELL Study)

A study testing L.reuteri in people with Constipation, run by Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Creteil at 5 sites in France.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

A randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double blind study in two parallel groups testing the efficacy of daily oral supplementation with the probiotic L.reuteri DSM17938 compared to placebo in increasing the number of spontaneous bowel movements in infants and children with functional constipation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 months to 4 years
Conditions the study is for
Constipation
What is being tested?
L.reuteri
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
52 participants
Where
5 sitesFrance
Study dates
1 Mar 2017to 30 Jul 2021
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 6 months to 4 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Age: 6 months up to 4 years
  • Suffering from functional constipation, as defined by modified Rome III criteria for children aged 4 years or less (Hyman 2006)
  • Parent(s) willingness to postpone major changes in the infant feeding mode
  • Parent(s) willingness and ability to fill in diary and questionnaires
  • Written informed consent from parents
  • Stated availability throughout the study period

Who cannot join

  • Chronic illness or major medical problem
  • Gastrointestinal disease (including organic cause of constipation and dyschezia or history of severe fecalome)
  • Intractable constipation (not responding to conventional treatment for more than 3 months)
  • Gastrointestinal surgery (in the year before enrolment)
  • Food allergy, lactose or gluten intolerance, as declared by parents
  • Use of L. reuteri two weeks before randomisation and throughout the intervention period. If fed with infant formula, it cannot contain L. reuteri.
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Use of antibiotics two weeks before randomisation and throughout the intervention period, both infant/child and lactating mother
  • If breastfeeding, use of L reuteri by the mother 2 weeks prior to enrolment
  • Conventional treatment for constipation within 2 weeks before enrolment
  • Medication that influences gastrointestinal motility
  • Mental or behavioral disorders as judged by the investigator

Trial locations and contacts

5 sites in 1 country.

5 sites in 1 country

France5 sites
  • CH Sud francilien

    Corbeil-Essonnes

  • CHI Creteil

    Créteil, 94000

  • Hôpital J. Monod - Pavillon Femme Mère Enfant - Le Havre

    Le Havre

  • Hôpital Saint Vincent-de-Paul

    Lille

  • CHU Robert Debré

    Paris

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Randomised Controlled Trial With Two Parallel Arms Testing the Effect of L. Reuteri on Bowel Movements in Children Aged 6 Months to 4 Years

A randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double blind study in two parallel groups testing the efficacy of daily oral supplementation with the probiotic L.reuteri DSM17938 compared to placebo in increasing the number of spontaneous bowel movements in infants and children with functional constipation.

Read the detailed description

Functional constipation in infants up to 4 years of age is defined according to Rome III criteria (Hyman 2006). The diagnose must include 1 month of at least two of the following criteria: two or fewer defecations per week; at least 1 episode per week of incontinence after the acquisition of toilet skills; history of excessive stool retention; history of painful or hard bowel movements; presence of a large faecal mass in the rectum; history of large-diameter stools that may obstruct the toilet.

Accompanying symptoms may include irritability, decreased appetite and/or early satiety. The accompanying symptoms disappear immediately following passage of a large stool.

There is a growing interest for the use of probiotics in functional constipation as research suggests that probiotics could provide beneficial support in the traditional treatment arsenal although the mechanisms of actions are not completely understood.

Wu et al have demonstrated that Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 may have a region-specific intestinal effect on gut motility and therefore could be beneficial in treatment of constipation

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 has shown significant favourable effects in adults (Ojetti 2014) and young children as described above (Coccorullo 2010, Olgac 2013). These studies require confirmation however. The present clinical study has been designed to strengthen the current available data that L. reuteri DSM 17938 has beneficial effects in infants and young children with functional constipation.

We hypothesize that daily oral supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 will effectively increase the number of spontaneous bowel movements in infants/children diagnosed with functional constipation according to Rome IV.

Conditions
Constipation
Being tested
L.reuteri, Placebo
Keywords
constipation, Lactobacillus reuteri, probiotics
Medical subject headings
Constipation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • L.reuteriDietary supplement

    Also called Lactobacillus reuteri

    Each day, at about the same time, the subjects will be given 5 drops (1x10^8 CFU) of the study product in connection with feeding

  • PlaceboDrug

    Same formulation as study product, without probiotics.

Study groups in NCT03030664
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
L.reuteriActive comparatorprobiotics: L.reuteri produced by Biogaia 5 drops per day: 10exp(8) colony forming unit will be delivered
Receives: Dietary Supplement: L.reuteri
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorSame formulation as probiotics, without active substance. 5 drops per day will be delivered
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in number of spontaneous bowel movements

    Change in number of spontaneous bowel movements at week 4 compared to baseline evaluated by a bowel habit questionnaire (BQH)

    Measured: Week 4

Secondary outcomes (13)
  1. rescue medication

    Total number of rescue medication during the intervention period

    Measured: week 4

  2. fecal retention

    number of subjects with 3 or more than 3 stools per week and without fecal retention at the last week of the intervention period

    Measured: week 4

  3. weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements

    weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements evaluated by the Bowel habit Questionnaire

    Measured: week 1

  4. weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements

    weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements evaluated by the Bowel habit Questionnaire

    Measured: week 2

  5. weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements

    weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements evaluated by the Bowel habit Questionnaire

    Measured: week 3

  6. weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements

    weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements evaluated by the Bowel habit Questionnaire

    Measured: week 4

  7. weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements

    weekly number of spontaneous bowel movements evaluated by the Bowel habit Questionnaire

    Measured: week 8

  8. Score of QOL

    Score of quality of life measured using the PedsQL Parent family acute version

    Measured: baseline

  9. Score of QOL

    Score of quality of life measured using the PedsQL Parent family acute version

    Measured: week 4

  10. Score of QOL

    Score of quality of life measured using the PedsQL Parent family acute version

    Measured: week 8

  11. Pain during defecation

    Score of pain during defecation measured using Hick or Wong baker faces

    Measured: baseline

  12. Pain during defecation

    Score of pain during defecation measured using Hick or Wong baker faces

    Measured: week 4

  13. Pain during defecation

    Score of pain during defecation measured using Hick or Wong baker faces

    Measured: week 8

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jan 2017 (estimated)
  2. Study start1 Mar 2017
  3. Primary completion30 Jun 2021
  4. Study completion30 Jul 2021

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator
Enrolment
52 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03030664
Sponsor's protocol ID
BIOWELL
Other IDs
2016-A00419-42
Acronym
BIOWELL
Status last verified
Jun 2022
First submitted
23 Jan 2017
Last updated
13 Jun 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Jung C, Kalach N, Degas V, Jeridi Y, Bertrand V, Bellaiche M. Effect of L. reuteri on bowel movements in children aged 6 months to 4 years: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Front Pediatr. 2022 Oct 26;10:997104. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.997104. eCollection 2022.

    PubMed 36389355

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing L.reuteri in people with Constipation, run by Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Creteil at 5 sites in France.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jun 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 5 sites in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in number of spontaneous bowel movements (time frame: Week 4). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03030664, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Jun 2022.

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