Clinical Efficacy of Probiotic Therapy on Bowel-Related Symptoms in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis during Endoscopic Remission: An Observational Study
Table 1
Baseline patient characteristics.
Variable
Overall ()
Age (years)
Gender
Female
19 (44.2)
Male
24 (55.8)
Presence of comorbidities
Yes
8 (18.6)
No
35 (81.4)
Alcohol
Yes
14 (32.6)
No
29 (67.4)
Smoking
Current
1 (2.3)
Former, never
42 (97.7)
Disease duration in years
<1 year
4 (9.3)
1–5 years
23 (53.5)
≥5 years
16 (37.2)
Disease extent at diagnosis
Proctitis
21 (48.8)
Left-sided colitis
12 (27.9)
Extensive colitis
10 (23.3)
Oral 5-ASA
Yes
42 (97.7)
No
1 (2.3)
5-ASA suppository
Yes
19 (44.2)
No
24 (55.8)
Anti-TNF
Yes
4 (9.3)
No
39 (90.7)
Azathioprine use
Yes
5 (11.6)
No
38 (88.4)
IBS subtype
IBS-diarrhea
15 (34.8)
IBS-mixed bowel habits
28 (65.2)
Symptoms of abdominal bloating
Yes
32 (74)
No
11 (26)
Values are or number (%). 5-ASA: 5-aminosalicylic acid; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; IBS: irritable bowel syndrome.