Ailments of Unknown Cause Codexery

Baby colic

Excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant, typically resolving by 4 months.

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It affects 10–40% of babies and typically resolves between 12 and 16 weeks of age.[1][2] An otherwise healthy infant experiencing crying episodes that last over three hours daily, occur on more than three days each week, and continue for a three-week period is the definition of infantile colic.[3][4] According to Roberts (2004), parents can be reassured that colic is a self-limiting condition without lasting negative consequences for the child.[4]

Key facts and history

Colic is equally common in bottle-fed and breast-fed infants.[1][4] Colic can result in parental frustration, postpartum depression, and excess doctor visits.[3][2] Persistent infant crying has been associated with shaken baby syndrome.[5][2] The year 1954 marks the origin of the most widely accepted clinical definition of colic, which uses the "rule of three" criteria.[4]

In the second century AD, the Greek physician Galen prescribed opium to soothe fussy infants.[6][7] Despite extensive research, the underlying cause of infantile colic remains unidentified.[8][2] Organic disease is found in less than 5% of infants who present with excessive crying.[9][4] To diagnose colic, a clinician must first exclude other potential causes through a thorough history and physical examination.[10][4]

What the cited sources add

The Roberts review states that colic is a diagnosis of exclusion made after careful history and physical examination.[4] Roberts notes that medications available in the United States have not been proved effective for colic.[4] The Johnson review reports that the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri may reduce crying in breastfeeding infants with colic.[2] Roberts recommends eliminating milk products, eggs, wheat, and nuts from the diet of breastfeeding mothers to help relieve symptoms.[4]

Johnson states that a systematic review of six studies supported the effectiveness of low-allergen diets in reducing colic.[2] Roberts reports that infant massage does not significantly improve colic symptoms and is not recommended.[4] The Johnson review notes that simethicone drops are no better than placebo for treating colic.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; "Colic", Pediatrics in Review; Barr, "Changing our understanding of infant colic", Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2002, p. 1172–4; Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; Long, "Excessive Crying in Infancy", John Wiley & Sons, 2006, p. 5 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82. facts only, no text reused. aafp.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; "The 5-minute clinical consult premium", Wolters Kluwer Health, 2014, p. 251; Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40. facts only, no text reused. aafp.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Solter, "Tears and Tantrums: What to Do When Babies and Children Cry", Shining Star Press, 1998 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Open Library record, ISBN 9780961307363 ("Tears and Tantrums"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40; Lucassen, "Effectiveness of treatments for infantile colic: systematic review", BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 1998-05-23, p. 1563–1569; Delire, "Circulating immune complexes in infants fed on cow's milk", Nature, 1978-04-13, p. 632; Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40; Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; Shamir, "Infant crying, colic, and gastrointestinal discomfort in early childhood: a review of the evidence and most plausible mechanisms", Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2013-12-01, p. S1–45; Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; Johnson, "Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment.", American Family Physician, 1 October 2015, p. 577–82; Jo en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Baby colic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40; Roberts, "Infantile colic.", American Family Physician, Aug 15, 2004, p. 735–40; Barr, "Colic and crying syndromes in infants", Pediatrics, 1998, p. 1282–6; Hyman, "Childhood functional gastrointestinal disorders: neonate/toddler.", Gastroenterology, April 2006, p. 1519–26 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Baby colic (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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