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Infantile colic: occurrence and risk factors
Insights
Infantile colic and gas discomfort affect 40% of infants, with firstborns and siblings of affected children being more prone. While not linked to allergies or feeding, colic can disrupt infant sleep.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infant Health
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Infantile colic and gas discomfort are common issues in early infancy.
- Understanding associated risk factors is crucial for effective management and parental support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of infantile colic and gas discomfort.
- To determine associations with social environment, allergies, and feeding practices.
- To explore impacts on infant growth and sleep patterns.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study utilizing questionnaires.
- Data collected from mothers of children aged 14-38 months in Turku, Finland.
- Inclusion of demographic and clinical information related to infant feeding and health.
Main Results:
- 40% of infants experienced colic or gas problems; 20% required drug therapy.
- Firstborn infants and siblings of colicky children showed higher prevalence.
- No association found with allergies, breastfeeding duration, or maternal milk consumption.
- Colicky infants exhibited similar growth but more frequent sleep disturbances.
Conclusions:
- Infantile colic and gas discomfort are prevalent, with specific familial patterns observed.
- Certain feeding and allergy-related factors do not appear to influence colic occurrence.
- Sleep disruption is a significant consequence of infantile colic, impacting infant well-being.
Abstract:
The purpose of this work was to study the appearance of infantile colic and gas discomfort and to learn whether these problems are associated with factors in the child's social environment, allergic symptoms, or feeding. The study was made retrospectively by means of a questionnaire which was sent to mothers of every tenth child aged 14 to 38 months in Turku, Finland. Forty percent of the children, as many boys as girls, had colic or gas problems in early infancy, so severe in 20% that drug therapy was used. First born children in the family more often had colic and gas problems than did subsequent children. Siblings of colicky children had colic and gas problems more often than did siblings of the children who had no colic or gas problems. Neither family history or symptoms of allergy, duration of breast-feeding, mother's consumption of plain cow's milk during lactation, nor the age of introduction of cow's milk to the child were associated with the occurrence of colic. Children with colic grew as well as children without. However, their night sleep was more often disturbed by awakenings than the night sleep of children without colic or gas problems in early infancy.