SynthesisBMJ open2017
The costs of functional gastrointestinal disorders and related signs and symptoms in infants: a systematic literature review and cost calculation for England.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Inflammation in Infant Colic-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Pooled it
- Strategies used for childhood chronic functional constipation: the SUCCESS evidence synthesis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Zinc-L-Carnosine (Polaprezinc) in managing infant regurgitation: a two-center randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Safety and Tolerance of a Novel Anti-Regurgitation Formula: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2021Trial
- Microbiological and Immunological Markers in Milk and Infant Feces for Common Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- Magnesium Alginate in Gastro-Esophageal Reflux: A Randomized Multicenter Cross-Over Study in Infants.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Endoscopy and noninvasive tests in pediatric disorders of gut-brain interaction: A multicenter retrospective study of the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2025Article
- Epidemiology of childhood constipation: a national study of Swedish children from 2006 to 2023.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Resting functional magnetic resonance images of the brain in functional gastrointestinal diseases: a concise review of the literature.Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench · 2025Review
- The Latest Data Concerning the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- South Korean first-time mothers' knowledge of digestive health problems in infancy and their utilization of health care facilities for digestive health concerns: a descriptive study.Child health nursing research · 2024Article
- Infantile Colic: A Survey of Physicians in Pakistan.Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Impact of cefixime and probiotics on functional abdominal bloating: a pilot study.Przeglad gastroenterologiczny · 2024Article
- Digestive Tolerance and Safety of an Anti-Regurgitation Formula Containing Locust Bean Gum, Prebiotics and Postbiotics: A Real-World Study.Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition · 2023Article
- Role of social media use in onset of functional gastrointestinal disorders in children.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of a starch thickened infant formula with reduced lactose content, probiotics and prebiotics on quality of life and clinical outcome in infants with regurgitation and/or colic.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
- Osteopathic Treatment for Gastrointestinal Disorders in Term and Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders-Plants and Potential Mechanisms of Action of Their Constituents.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 8 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate the cost of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and related signs and symptoms in infants to the third party payer and to parents. STUDY
designTo estimate the cost of illness (COI) of infant FGIDs, a two-stage process was applied: a systematic literature review and a COI calculation. As no pertinent papers were found in the systematic literature review, a 'de novo' analysis was performed. For the latter, the potential costs for the third party payer (the National Health Service (NHS) in England) and for parents/carers for the treatment of FGIDs in infants were calculated, by using publicly available data. In constructing the calculation, estimates and assumptions (where necessary) were chosen to provide a lower bound (minimum) of the potential overall cost. In doing so, the interpretation of the calculation is that the true COI can be no lower than that estimated.
resultsOur calculation estimated that the total costs of treating FGIDs in infants in England were at least £72.3 million per year in 2014/2015 of which £49.1 million was NHS expenditure on prescriptions, community care and hospital treatment. Parents incurred £23.2 million in costs through purchase of over the counter remedies.
conclusionsThe total cost presented here is likely to be a significant underestimate as only lower bound estimates were used where applicable, and for example, costs of alternative therapies, inpatient treatments or diagnostic tests, and time off work by parents could not be adequately estimated and were omitted from the calculation. The number and kind of prescribed products and products sold over the counter to treat FGIDs suggest that there are gaps between treatment guidelines, which emphasise parental reassurance and nutritional advice, and their implementation.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.