Sweet solutions help infants tolerate immunizations
Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto, Canada reviewed the evidence for giving sweet solutions to infants before immunization.
First, the details.
- 14 studies with 1674 injections met the inclusion criteria.
And, the results.
- Sucrose or glucose decreased crying during or following immunization compared to water or no treatment in 13 of 14 studies.
- Infants receiving 30% glucose had a decreased relative risk of crying following immunization.
- With sucrose or glucose, there was a 10% reduction in proportion of crying time and a 12 second reduction in crying duration.
- An optimal dose of sucrose or glucose could not be ascertained due to the varied volumes and concentrations used.
The bottom line?
Giving sucrose or glucose solutions before immunization has a moderate benefit on the incidence and duration of crying.
It’s probably not necessary for all infants, but might be considered in babies who are particularly averse to being stuck with a needle.
5/24/10 16:11 JR