Post-COVID-19 irritable bowel syndrome - importance of diet therapy and probiotic therapy

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objective: The current challenge for medicine and the related disciplines is the development of methods and algorithms for dealing with the development of new diseases which undoubtedly include post-Covid-19 irritable bowel syndrome (P-IBS). This review is aimed at presentation of up-to-date scientific evidence on the impact of COVID-19 disease on development of post-Covid-19 irritable bowel syndrome. Review methods: The literature was reviewed using search engine data from PubMed, Google Scholar and the Medline databases. Brief description of the state of knowledge At present, there are no guidelines or recommendations concerning therapeutic management of patients with post-Covid-19 irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, the general standard of treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was reviewed. It is considered that the use of personalized low-FODMAP diet under the control of a clinical dietitian may be a good support in the treatment of IBS. Moreover, it seems advisable to supply personalized probiotic therapy based on the supplementation of strains with proven clinical effect. A new branch of probiotic therapy based on the use of psychobiotics in IBS patients as a form of support therapy also brings high hopes. Summary: The use of personalized low-FODMAP dietary supply and targeted probiotic therapy, including psychobiotherapy, could potentially be an effective method of supporting the treatment of patients suffering from post-Covid-19 irritable bowel syndrome. Currently, there are no guidelines for the routine use of the aforementioned methods. The need for further scientific research into the mechanisms of action and effectiveness of interventions in the context of P-IBS is indicated.