Comparison between Lactobacillus Reuteri Probiotic in Addition to Standard Care versus Standard Care Alone in the Treatment of Infantile Colic
Lactobacillus Reuteri Probiotic in Addition to Standard Care in the Treatment of Infantile Colic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v7i2.2561Keywords:
Infantile Colic, L. reuteri, Probiotic, Abdominal Colic, Infant CryingAbstract
Excessive crying is one of the most common problems in the first three months of life, accounting for nearly 20% of pediatric consultations. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of Lactobacillus reuteri in infants with infantile colic compared with standard care alone. Methods: A prospective quasi-experimental study was used to enroll 172 infants (<13 weeks of age) with clinically diagnosed infantile colic who were enrolled. Group A received probiotic L. reuteri in addition to standard care, while Group B received standard care alone. Outcomes included mean daily crying time, crying episodes/week, and daily sleep duration, measured at baseline, days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Between-group comparisons were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and within-group changes were analyzed using the Friedman test. Results: Over 28 days, Group A showed greater improvement than Group B in reducing crying and increasing sleep. Daily crying decreased by −3.53 ± 1.05 hours in Group A vs. −1.79 ± 1.19 hours in Group B (p<0.001), weekly crying episodes by −3.60 ± 0.69 vs. −3.36 ± 0.97 (p=0.041), and daily sleep increased by 5.38 ± 2.08 hours vs. 2.80 ± 3.52 hours (p<0.001). Conclusions: L. reuteri supplementation in addition to standard care significantly reduced crying time and episodes, and improved sleep-in infants with colic compared to standard care alone.
References
Ölmestig TK, Siersma V, Birkmose AR, Kragstrup J, Ertmann RK. Infant Crying Problems Related to Maternal Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms During Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study. BioMed Central Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2021 Nov; 21(1): 777. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-04252-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-04252-z
Muller I, Ghio D, Mobey J, Jones H, Hornsey S, Dobson A et al. Parental Perceptions and Experiences of Infant Crying: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Qualitative Research. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2023 Feb; 79(2): 403-17. doi: 10.1111/jan.15492. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15492
Connor F, Salvatore S, D’auria E, Baldassarre ME, Acunzo M, Di Bella G et al. Cows’ Milk Allergy-Associated Constipation: When to Look for It? A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2022 Mar; 14(6): 1317. doi: 10.3390/nu14061317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061317
Itzkowitz T. What is the Underlying Cause of Infantile Colic? The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences. 2021; 14(2): 34-7.
Vandenplas Y, Kindt S, Salvatore S. Infant regurgitation and Pediatric Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. In Pediatric Neurogastroenterology: Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders and Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction in Children. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 2023 Jan: 439-456. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15229-0_34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15229-0_34
Banik SK, Zaman M, Karim MR, Rahman MM, Anam AN, Al Zami H et al. Efficacy of Lactobacillus reuteri in Improving Gut Barrier Function and Management of Infantile Colic. American Journal of Pediatrics. 2023; 9: 10-1648.
Perry R, Hunt K, Ernst E. Nutritional Supplements and Other Complementary Medicines for Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review. Pediatrics. 2011 Apr; 127(4): 720-33. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-2098. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-2098
Hofman D, Kudla U, Miqdady M, Nguyen TV, Morán-Ramos S, Vandenplas Y. Faecal Microbiota in Infants and Young Children with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb; 14(5): 974. doi: 10.3390/nu14050974. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14050974
Savino F, Cordisco L, Tarasco V, Palumeri E, Calabrese R, Oggero R et al. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in Infantile Colic: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Pediatrics. 2010 Sep; 126(3): e526-33. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-0433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-0433
Jalal MS, Mehdi SZ, Akber JU, Gowa MA, Lifschitz C. Infantile Colic: A Survey of Physicians in Pakistan. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. 2024 May; 27(3): 186. doi: 10.5223/pghn.2024.27.3.186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2024.27.3.186
Larrosa-Haro A, Abundis-Castro L, Contreras MB, Gallo MJ, Peña-Quintana L, Ferreira CT et al. Epidemiologic Trend of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Latin America: The Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) Working Group. Revista de Gastroenterología de México (English Edition). 2021 Oct; 86(4): 328-34. doi: 10.1016/j.rgmxen.2021.07.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rgmxen.2021.07.004
Savino F, Pelle E, Palumeri E, Oggero R, Miniero R. Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection Strain 55730) versus Simethicone in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Prospective Randomized Study. Pediatrics. 2007 Jan; 119(1): e124-30. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-1222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1222
Augustin M, Licata-Dandel M, Breeman LD, Harrer M, Bilgin A, Wolke D et al. Effects of a mobile-based intervention for parents of children with crying, sleeping, and feeding problems: randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research: mHealth and uHealth. 2023 Mar; 11: e41804. doi: 10.2196/41804. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/41804
Savino F, Garro M, Montanari P, Galliano I, Bergallo M. Crying Time and RORγ/FOXP3 Expression in Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM17938-Treated Infants with Colic: A Randomized Trial. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2018 Jan; 192: 171-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.08.062. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.08.062
Szajewska H, Gyrczuk E, Horvath A. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 for he Management of Infantile Colic in Breastfed Infants: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2013 Feb; 162(2): 257-62. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.08.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.08.004
Zermiani AP, de Paula AL, Miguel ER, Lopes LD, Santana ND, da Silva Santos T et al. Evidence of Lactobacillus reuteri to Reduce Colic in Breastfed Babies: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2021 Dec; 63: 102781. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102781. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102781
Schreck Bird A, Gregory PJ, Jalloh MA, Risoldi Cochrane Z, Hein DJ. Probiotics for the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review. Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 2017 Jun; 30(3): 366-74. doi: 10.1177/0897190016634516. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0897190016634516
Xu M, Wang J, Wang N, Sun F, Wang L, Liu XH. The Efficacy and Safety of the Probiotic Bacterium Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM 17938 For Infantile Colic: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. PLOS One. 2015 Oct; 10(10): e0141445. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141445. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141445
Basturk A. Investigation of the Effectiveness of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Randomized Study. Hong Kong Journal of Pediatrics (New Series). 2022 Jul; 27: 182-7.
Sung V, D’Amico F, Cabana MD, Chau K, Koren G, Savino F et al. Lactobacillus reuteri to Treat Infant Colic: A Meta-Analysis. Pediatrics. 2018 Jan; 141(1): e20171811. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-1811. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1811
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments
