Skip to main content
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1997 Apr;76(4):356–358. doi: 10.1136/adc.76.4.356

Use of sucrose as a treatment for infant colic

T Markestad 1, R BELL 1
PMCID: PMC1717160  PMID: 9166032

Abstract

Accepted 5 November 1996


AIMS—To examine if sucrose has an analgesic effect on infant colic.
METHODS—Nineteen infants with typical infant colic were given 2 ml of 12% sucrose or distilled water when crying, in a double blind double crossover study. The effect was measured by parents' score.
RESULTS—Twelve improved specifically on sucrose and one on placebo (p < 0.01). Five showed a non-specific improvement. 
CONCLUSIONS—Sucrose has a significant ameliorating effect on infant colic.



Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (60.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen K. D., White D. D., Walburn J. N. Sucrose as an analgesic agent for infants during immunization injections. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996 Mar;150(3):270–274. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1996.02170280040007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barr R. G., Young S. N., Wright J. H., Cassidy K. L., Hendricks L., Bedard Y., Yaremko J., Leduc D., Treherne S. "Sucrose analgesia" and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis immunizations at 2 and 4 months. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1995 Aug;16(4):220–225. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blass E. M., Hoffmeyer L. B. Sucrose as an analgesic for newborn infants. Pediatrics. 1991 Feb;87(2):215–218. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Blass E. M., Hoffmeyer L. B. Sucrose as an analgesic for newborn infants. Pediatrics. 1991 Feb;87(2):215–218. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Geertsma M. A., Hyams J. S. Colic--a pain syndrome of infancy? Pediatr Clin North Am. 1989 Aug;36(4):905–919. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)36728-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Haouari N., Wood C., Griffiths G., Levene M. The analgesic effect of sucrose in full term infants: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 1995 Jun 10;310(6993):1498–1500. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6993.1498. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Haouari N., Wood C., Griffiths G., Levene M. The analgesic effect of sucrose in full term infants: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 1995 Jun 10;310(6993):1498–1500. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6993.1498. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Katme A. M. Analgesic effects of sucrose were known to the prophet. BMJ. 1995 Oct 28;311(7013):1169–1169. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.7013.1169. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rushforth J. A., Levene M. I. Effect of sucrose on crying in response to heel stab. Arch Dis Child. 1993 Sep;69(3):388–389. doi: 10.1136/adc.69.3.388. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Shide D. J., Blass E. M. Opioidlike effects of intraoral infusions of corn oil and polycose on stress reactions in 10-day-old rats. Behav Neurosci. 1989 Dec;103(6):1168–1175. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.103.6.1168. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Treem W. R. Infant colic. A pediatric gastroenterologist's perspective. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1994 Oct;41(5):1121–1138. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)38848-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. WESSEL M. A., COBB J. C., JACKSON E. B., HARRIS G. S., Jr, DETWILER A. C. Paroxysmal fussing in infancy, sometimes called colic. Pediatrics. 1954 Nov;14(5):421–435. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES