Analgesic Effect of Sugar Solution in Infantile Colic

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Infantile colic is one of the most commonly encountered problems, characterized by excessive crying in apparently healthy young infants within the first 3 months of life. It is commonly assumed that the infant with colic has distress and possible pain. In recent investigations, it has been found that sucrose has an analgesic effect in newborn infants. The purpose of this study is to examine if sugar solution as sucrose also has an analgesic effect on infant colic. METHODS: This prospective randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study examined healthy term infants aged 4 to 12 weeks with colic. A total of 40 infants were randomly assigned into two groups who visited Daedong Hospital from June 1999 to June 2001. Each group received sugar solution or sterile water. All data from parental diaries and interviews were recorded and analysed blindly. RESULTS: The daily crying time and the colic improvement score were significantly better in sugar solution group as compared with the control(P=0.019, 0.045). No significant differences were noted between groups regarding the number of night wakenings(P=0.173). CONCLUSION: We conclude that sugar solution has an analgesic effect on infantile colic.