The Explosive Growth of Infant Prescriptions

ColicCalm.com has released a new infographic exploring the incredible rise in the number of infant prescriptions.    Education before medication, please explains the diagnosis, treatment and potential side effects of infant GERD.

Are Infant Reflux Drugs Worth the Risks?

The number of babies prescribed acid suppression drugs such as H2 blockers and PPIs grew 8-fold during 2002 to 2009, but fewer than 10% received any diagnostic testing for GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). Some pediatricians are growing concerned that the “epidemic” of infant GERD cases is actually due to over-diagnosis, especially since clinical trials show acid blockers work no better than a placebo and can actually lead to short term and long term side effects. The FDA has not approved PPIs for treatment of GERD in children younger than one year.

Designed by InfoNewt, this design follows the 3-part story format really well.

1. Introduction: What is GERD? - background information
2. The Main Event: The Explosive Growth of Acid Blockers - the surprising statistic visualized
3. Conclusion: What’s the harm? - potential side effects

The topic is potentially controversial, so the design carefully sticks to only sharing the facts and research about infant GERD, and includes an exhaustive source list.  The other critical design elements are also included in the design, like the Creative Commons license and the infographic landing page URL so anyone can find the full-size original.