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Developmental Coordination Disorder in Children with a History of Infantile Colic
Ioanna Milidou1, Morten Søndergaard Lindhard1, Charlotte Søndergaard2
1Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Insights
Infantile colic history in children did not show a strong link to developmental coordination disorder at age 7. This large study found no significant evidence of impaired motor development in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Infantile colic is a common condition in newborns.
- Potential long-term effects of infantile colic on child development are not fully understood.
- Early identification of developmental issues is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if a history of infantile colic is associated with impaired motor development at age 7.
- To compare motor development outcomes in children with and without infantile colic.
- To investigate potential risk factors for developmental coordination disorder.
Main Methods:
- A large cohort of 27,940 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort (1997-2002) was analyzed.
- Infantile colic was defined using the modified Wessel criteria (crying >3 hours/day, >3 days/week).
- Parental Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ'07) scores were compared, adjusting for multiple confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Children with infantile colic history had a slightly elevated risk for suspected developmental coordination disorder (OR 1.3).
- Mean DCDQ'07 scores were marginally lower in children with infantile colic history (-0.4 points).
- Higher risk for low total and general coordination scores was observed in children with infantile colic history.
Conclusions:
- This large Danish cohort study found no strong evidence linking infantile colic to developmental coordination disorder at age 7.
- While some minor associations were observed, they did not indicate a significant impairment in motor development.
- Further research may explore subtle developmental differences or other long-term outcomes.
Objective:
To investigate whether children with a history of infantile colic showed impaired motor development at age 7 years compared with unaffected peers.
Study Design:
We studied 27,940 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort (1997-2002), including 1879 (6.8%) with a history of infantile colic. Infantile colic was defined according to the modified Wessel criteria as crying for more than 3 hours per day and more than 3 days per week. We compared the parental Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ'07) scores in children with and without infantile colic after adjustment for intrauterine exposures, feeding type, parity, maternal age, socioeconomic status, Apgar score, gestational age, and birth weight.
Results:
Children with a history of infantile colic had an elevated risk of scoring above the predefined cutoff limit of possible or suspected developmental coordination disorder (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.7; P = .034). The mean total DCDQ'07 score was -0.4 point (95% CI, -0.8 to 0) lower in children with a history of infantile colic. Moreover, they were at higher risk for a low total score (OR for a 10-point decrease, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.1; P = .006) and a low general coordination score (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5, P = .000) in the DCDQ'07. All associations appeared to be stronger among boys, but no statistically significant effect measure modification between infantile colic and sex was found.
Conclusion:
We found no evidence of a strong association between infantile colic and developmental coordination disorder in this large Danish cohort.
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