Infant reflux, colic and constipation costing NHS millions, when parental reassurance could be more successful

A recent study, published in BMJ Open, suggests that England spends £72.3m (of which approximately £50 million was National Health Service expenditure) a year managing infant functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as reflux, colic and constipation. Yet a new international expert review on the current management recommendations for infant functional GI disorders has concluded that first-line management should focus on parental reassurance and nutritional advice. Published in Acta Paediatrica, the review also noted that, with the exception of functional constipation, medication is seldom required. Around 50% per cent of infants will suffer with at least one functional GI Disorder before