Summary of findings for the main comparison. Early short‐term feeding: hydrolysed formula versus human milk feeding ‐ low‐risk infants for prevention of allergic disease.
| Early short‐term feeding of hydrolysed formula versus human milk for prevention of allergic disease | ||||||
| Patient or population: infants not selected for allergic disease risk. Settings: hospitals. Intervention: early short‐term feeding: hydrolysed formula versus human milk feeding for prevention of allergic disease | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | Number of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Control | Early short‐term feeding: hydrolysed formula vs human milk ‐ low‐risk infants | |||||
| All allergic disease ‐ childhood (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 3 years | Study population | RR 1.43 (0.38 to 5.37) | 90 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowa,b,c | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 75 per 1000 | 108 per 1000 (29 to 405) | |||||
| Asthma ‐ childhood (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 3 years | Study population | RR 0.48 (0.05 to 4.41) | 90 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowa,b,c | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 57 per 1000 | 27 per 1000 (3 to 250) | |||||
| Eczema ‐ childhood (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 3 years | Study population | RR 0.48 (0.05 to 4.41) | 90 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowa,b,c | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 57 per 1000 | 27 per 1000 (3 to 250) | |||||
| Food allergy ‐ childhood (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 3 years | Study population | RR 1.43 (0.38 to 5.37) | 90 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowa,b,c | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 75 per 1000 | 108 per 1000 (29 to 405) | |||||
| Cow's milk allergy ‐ infancy (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 27 months | Study population | RR 0.87 (0.52 to 1.46) | 3559 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowc,d,e | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 17 per 1000 | 15 per 1000 (9 to 25) | |||||
| Cow's milk allergy ‐ childhood (incidence) Follow‐up: mean 3 years | Study population | RR 7.11 (0.35 to 143.84) | 90 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very lowa,b,c | Quality of evidence downgraded due to risk of bias, imprecision and potential for reporting or publication bias. | |
| 0 per 1000 | 0 per 1000 (0 to 0) | |||||
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI) CI: confidence interval; RR: risk ratio | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate | ||||||
aMethodological concerns including quasi‐random sequence allocation, incomplete outcome data and imbalances at baseline bImprecision of estimate ‐ single small study cReported by only a single study dMethodological concerns including quasi‐random sequence allocation and incomplete outcome data eImpression of estimate ‐ low incidence of outcome