Comparison of the effect of sequential use of metronidazole and probiotics with probiotics alone on functional bloating

Most people often complain of abdominal bloating. The present study was designed and conducted with the purpose of examining the effect of sequential treatment of Metronidazole and Probiotics, and Probiotics alone in reducing the severity of symptoms of functional bloating.

The present study was a randomized clinical trial that was carried out from March 2022 until June 2023 in Isfahan and Khurshid Hospital. The studied population were suffering from flatulence and were diagnosed with functional bloating by a gastroenterologist based on Rome III criteria. Then they entered one of the two study groups in a double-blind manner. The first group was treated with Metronidazole for two weeks and then with Probiotic for two weeks. The second group was treated with Probiotic for four weeks. The severity of patients' bloating was measured by a 4-question questionnaire in five stages: before the start of the study, two weeks after, four weeks after, six weeks after, eight weeks after and 12 weeks after the start of the study.  Finally, the obtained information was entered into SPSS software version 24 Repeated measures ANOVA was used to investigate the relationship between variables.

After collecting the data, 43 patients in the first group and 44 patients in the second group were examined. 72.1% of the first group were women and 27.9% were men. In group two, this ratio was 72.7% for women and 27.3% for men. In this intervention, it was seen that in the 1st group, the average severity of bloating decreased until the end of the eighth week and after the second week of drug treatment, and then increased. In the second group, the average intensity of bloating decreased until the end of the fourth week and at the same time as the end of drug treatment, and then increased.

It was shown that in the study, the effect of this combined treatment had a greater effect in reducing the severity of functional bloating among patients with functional bloating.