Acupuncture for infantile colic: A blinding-validated, randomized controlled multicentre trial in general practice
نویسندگان
چکیده
OBJECTIVE Infantile colic is a painful condition in the first months of infancy. Acupuncture is used in Scandinavia as a treatment for infantile colic. A randomized controlled trial was carried out with the aim of testing the hypothesis that acupuncture treatment has a clinically relevant effect for this condition. DESIGN A prospective, blinding-validated, randomized controlled multicentre trial in general practice. Research assistants and parents were blinded. SETTING 13 GPs' offices in Southern Norway. INTERVENTION Three days of bilateral needling of the acupuncture point ST36, with no treatment as control. SUBJECTS 113 patients were recruited; 23 patients were excluded, and 90 randomized; 79 diaries and 84 interviews were analysed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Difference in changes in crying time during the trial period between the intervention and control group. RESULTS The blinding validation questions showed a random distribution with p = 0.41 and 0.60, indicating true blinding. We found no statistically significant difference in crying time reduction between acupuncture and control group at any of the measured intervals, nor in the main analysis of differences in changes over time (p = 0.26). There was a tendency in favour of the acupuncture group, with a non-significant total baseline-corrected mean of 13 minutes (95% CI -24 to + 51) difference in crying time between the groups. This was not considered clinically relevant, according to protocol. CONCLUSION This trial of acupuncture treatment for infantile colic showed no statistically significant or clinically relevant effect. With the current evidence, the authors suggest that acupuncture for infantile colic should be restricted to clinical trials.
منابع مشابه
A pilot study of ST36 acupuncture for infantile colic.
OBJECTIVE To conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a proposed design of an acupuncture trial to relieve symptoms of infantile colic. METHOD An open randomised single-blinded controlled trial, using standardised bilateral treatment of the acupuncture point ST36. Infants fulfilling Wessel's definition of infantile colic were included. PATIENTS were randomised to active treatment ...
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