Preventive Effect of Pleuran (β-glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus) in Children with Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections – Open-Label Prospective Study

Authors:
Jaroslaw Pasnik, Agnieszka Ślemp, Agnieszka Cywinska-Bernas, Krzysztof Zeman, Milos Jesenak

Journal:
Current Pediatric Research, 2017

Study Design

6-month open-label prospective clinical study, including 3 months of supplementation and 3 months of follow-up.

Participants

191 children (ages 1–11) with a history of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs), defined as ≥6 infections/year in children under 4, or ≥3 infections/year in children 5 and older.

Intervention

Daily supplementation with Imunoglukan P4H® syrup (10 mg pleuran + 10 mg vitamin C per mL, dosed at 1 mL per 5 kg body weight) for 3 months, followed by 3 months of observation. No other immunomodulators were used during the study.

Outcome Measures

• Total number of respiratory infections
• Frequency of specific RTI types (common cold, otitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, etc.)
• Days missed from kindergarten or school
• Tolerability and adverse events

Summary

This open-label clinical trial evaluated the effect of pleuran (β-glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus) on respiratory infection frequency in children. Over 6 months, the number of infections dropped significantly compared to the previous year (from 8.71 to 4.18 infections/year). Significant reductions were seen in otitis media (62%), laryngitis (33%), bronchitis (31%), and the common cold (28%). School absences decreased by 39%. The supplement was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events. These results reinforce earlier findings that pleuran may reduce the burden of recurrent respiratory infections and improve quality of life for children and families.