Early childhood: Colic, child development, and poisoning prevention - A systematic review of treatments for infant colic

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of rigorously evaluated treatment s for infant colic. Methods. Online bibliographic databases were searched for the term "colic" in articles classified as clinical trials or randomized controlled trials a nd conducted in infants. Reference lists from review articles, meta-analyse s, and the selected articles were also reviewed for potential studies. The abstracts or full-text articles of 57 relevant studies were examined, of wh ich 22 met the selection criteria. The methodology and findings of all retr ieved articles were critically evaluated. Data were extracted from each art icle regarding study methods, intervention studied, outcomes measured, and results. Results. Four of the interventions studied had data of adequate quality and statistically significant numbers needed to treat (NNT): hypoallergenic di et (NNT = 6), soy formula (NNT = 2), reduced stimulation (NNT = 2), and her bal tea (NNT = 3). Conclusions. There are some effective therapies for infant colic, but addit ional rigorous studies of existing and alternative therapies are needed.