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Colic in infants
1Department of General Practice, Radbound University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Insights
This systematic review examines colic treatments for infants, finding varied evidence on interventions like gripe water and infant massage. It assesses the effectiveness and safety of numerous colic remedies for families seeking relief.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Evidence-Based Medicine
- Infant Health
Background:
- Infant colic affects 17% of families, frequently leading to healthcare consultations.
- Prevalence varies significantly based on study design and recording methods, as noted in previous reviews.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various treatments for infant colic.
- To answer the clinical question regarding the effects of different colic interventions.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a systematic review of literature up to September 2009.
- Searched major databases including Medline, Embase, and The Cochrane Library.
- Included harms alerts from regulatory agencies like the FDA and MHRA.
Main Results:
- Identified 27 systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and observational studies meeting inclusion criteria.
- Performed a GRADE evaluation to assess the quality of evidence for interventions.
- Compiled information on the effectiveness and safety of multiple colic treatments.
Conclusions:
- Presents findings on interventions such as increased carrying, reduced stimulation, hydrolysate milks, cranial osteopathy, gripe water, and infant massage.
- Evaluates the effectiveness and safety of treatments including simethicone, soya-based feeds, and spinal manipulation.
- Provides a comprehensive overview of available evidence for infant colic interventions.
Introduction:
Colic in infants causes one in six families (17%) with children to consult a health professional. One systematic review of 15 community-based studies found a wide variation in prevalence, which depended on study design and method of recording.
Methods And Outcomes:
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for colic in infants? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to September 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Results:
We found 27 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
Conclusions:
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: advice to increase carrying, advice to reduce stimulation, casein hydrolysate milk, cranial osteopathy, crib vibrator device, focused counselling, gripe water, infant massage, low-lactose milk, simethicone, soya-based infant feeds, spinal manipulation, and whey hydrolysate milk.
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