Role of probiotics for treatment of infantile colic

Purpose: Considering the prevalence and importance of infant colic and the impact on the life of the infant and his family, and also given that effective treatment has not been found so far, we decided to study the effect of pedilact probiotic drops in the treatment of infant’s colic in children.

Methods: This study is carried out on 72 colicky infants who were admitted to the Tehran children Medical Center. These  children  were  assigned  randomly  (using  2  blinded-randomized  trial)  to  two equal  groups  named  PRR (Probiotic receiving) and PCR (Placebo receiving) groups.

Results: There was no significant difference in the distribution of infant’s sex, mother’s age, type of labor, type of nutrition, quality of life and exposure to smoke between the two groups. The weight of the newborns increased in each of the two groups and there was a significant increase in the PRR group, while in the PCR group no significant growth was observed. The frequency of crying in both groups decreased over time, in the PRR group, there was a significant decrease, while in the PCR group, and this decrease was not significant. There were same results about duration of crying in PRR and PCR groups. There was no significant difference between PRR and PCR groups in fecal consistency and pattern of sleep on each day of 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28.

Conclusion:

 Probiotic supplementation significantly reduced the frequency and duration of infants' crying and neonatal weight gain during the study, which is an important achievement.