[Dietary therapy of infant colic: a double-blind study]

The possible role of cow's milk intolerance in the aetiology of infantile colic was assessed in 19 infants in a town either by a health worker or family doctor. Modified standard preparations of cow's milk were compared for a period longer than three weeks with soya milk preparations in a double blind experiment. On soya mild the persistence of colic syndromes was significantly reduced within one week (p < 0.01) in 11 of 19 infants meeting the diagnostic criteria for cow's milk intolerance. Four children were the symptoms did not improve spontaneously nor after soya milk were given milk with hydrolyzed protein, in two the positive response was confirmed by exposure tests. Thus in 13 of 19 infants (88%) symptoms of infantile colic disappeared almost completely after the dietary change.