Impact of Synbiotic Therapy on the Quality of Life in Patients with Mild-to-Moderately Active Ulcerative Colitis

Background & Aim: Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that negatively affects patients' quality of life, workforce participation, and nutrition during active disease periods. This study aimed to explore how synbiotic treatment affected the quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. Methods: Forty ulcerative colitis patients with mild-to-moderate disease activity were enrolled in the study and divided in two randomized groups; 20 patients received synbiotic therapy and 20 patients receive placebo for 8 weeks. Quality of life scores of both groups were compared at the start and the end of therapy. Quality of life was determined using a short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Results: Increases in mean SF-36 scores were found in both groups at the end of the study. Although the increase was higher in patients who received synbiotic therapy, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.268 for mental indicators and p=0.182 for physical indicators). At the end of the treatment, a significant increase was observed in the social functioning and mental health sub-dimension scores from mental indicators and in the general health status sub-dimension score from physical indicators, in the synbiotic group (p=0.008, p=0.005, p=0.036 respectively.). The social functioning sub-dimension score from mental indicators and bodily pain and general health sub-dimension scores from physical indicators were found to be significantly higher in the group that went into remission after synbiotic treatment compared to patients with mild disease activity (p=0.034, p=0.017, 0.031, respectively). SF-36 scores were higher in patients with mild activity or those in remission in both groups. Conclusions: Synbiotic use provides an increase in the SF-36 score; however, this increase is not statistically significant.