gutsandgrowth

Home | About Jay Hochman -Pediatric Gastroenterology Blog | Archives

What Happens Four Years After Fecal Microbiota Transplantation?

January 25, 2018 7:01 am

A recent study (J Jalanka et al. AP&T 2018; 47: 371-9-thanks to Ben Gold for this reference) provide long-term data of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

In this study of 84 adult patients who were treated for C difficile infection, 45 who had received FMT and 39 treated with antibiotics, the authors determined the frequency of adverse sequelae at 3.8 years using a retrospective questionnaire.

Key findings:

There were no difference in the development of severe diseases between FMT recipients and control patients (eg. IBD, cancer, autoimmune diseases, allergy, and neurological diseases)
There were no differences in weight gain
FMT patients reported faster improvements in bowel habits and reported that their mental health improved after treatment
FMT patients had fewer symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders than the control (antibiotic) patients

The authors note that FMT is frequently recommended based on three recurrences of C difficile infection and that their study would support using FMT earlier as a treatment option.

My take: Though a small study, these data suggest that FMT is effective and without long-term consequences.