Systematic review of the occurrence of infantile colic in the community

Lucassen, Peter; Assendelft, W.J.J.; Eijk, J.T.M. van; Gubbels, J. W.; Douwes, A. C.; Geldrop, Wim J van

doi:10.1136/adc.84.5.398

Cited by 264 publications

(223 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Overall, 14% of the infants in this study had colic, which is in keeping with previously reported colic prevalence estimates of 5%Ϫ19%. 13,16 Similarly, the migraine prevalence of 18% in the mothers is highly in keeping with the 18% 1-year migraine prevalence estimate among women in North America.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

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Before the headache

2012

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Objective: Childhood periodic syndromes are thought to be early life expressions of the genetic tendency for migraine. The objective of this study was to determine whether maternal migraine is associated with an increased risk of infant colic, because this may indicate that colic is a childhood periodic syndrome.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed in general pediatric clinics. To minimize recall bias, mothers were surveyed at their infants' 2-month-old well-child visit, the age when colic is most prevalent. Colic was ascertained via parental report using modified Wessel criteria. Migraine history was obtained by having a physician diagnosis or a positive screen on ID Migraine. The primary outcome measure was difference in colic prevalence in infants with and without a maternal history of migraine. Results:Data from 154 infant-mother pairs were analyzed. Infants with a maternal history of migraine were 2.6 times as likely to have colic as infants without a maternal history of migraine (29% vs 11%, prevalence ratio 2.6 (95% confidence interval 1.2Ϫ5.5), p ϭ 0.02). There was no difference in the accuracy with which migraineur mothers perceived their infants' colic status compared with that of nonmigraineur mothers. Data on paternal history of migraine were available for 93 infants. Infants with a paternal history of migraine may have a higher prevalence of colic (22% vs 10%), although the prevalence ratio 2.3 (0.6Ϫ9.4, p ϭ 0.24) had wide confidence intervals. Conclusions:Maternal migraine is associated with increased risk of infant colic. Because migraine has a strong genetic underpinning, this association suggests that colic may be an early life manifestation of migraine. Neurology

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

“…Infant colic (excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant) has an incidence of 5%Ϫ19% in prospective studies. 13,16 Normal infant crying increases in the first weeks of life, peaks at 6Ϫ8 weeks of age, and tapers off by age 3 months.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Before the headache

2012

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“…21 Caregivers typically interpret crying as an expression of a need (eg, hunger, wet diaper, or fatigue) and expect the infant to calm down when the need is met. 27 The state's 154 hospitals that provide maternity care account for 250 000 deliveries per year (Fig 2).…”

Section: Discussion What Causes An Adult To Shake An Infant?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent Education by Maternity Nurses and Prevention of Abusive Head Trauma

et al. 2011

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Approximately 20 per 100 000 infants per year experience abusive head injuries resulting from shaking, typically triggered by a caregiver's inability to stop the infant's crying. Hospital-based parent education immediately after the infant's birth has shown promise as a prevention strategy. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Results of this study provide strong corroborating evidence that a low-cost prevention program delivered by maternity nurses can substantially reduce newborns' risk of sustaining an abusive head injury resulting from shaking during the first year of life.abstract OBJECTIVE: A consortium of the 19 community hospitals and 1 tertiary care children's hospital that provide maternity care in the New York State Hudson Valley region implemented a program to teach parents about the dangers of shaking infants and how to cope safely with an infant's crying. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program in reducing the frequency of shaking injuries. METHODS:The educational program, which was delivered by maternity nurses, included a leaflet explaining abusive head trauma ("shaken baby syndrome") and how to prevent it, an 8-minute video on the subject, and a statement signed by parents acknowledging receipt of the information and agreeing to share it with others who will care for the infant. Poisson regression analysis was used to compare the frequency of shaking injuries during the 3 years after program implementation with the frequency during a 5-year historical control period. RESULTS:Sixteen infants who were born in the region during the 8-year study period were treated at the children's hospital for shaking injuries sustained during their first year of life. Of those infants, 14 were born during the 5-year control period and 2 during the 3-year postimplementation period. The decrease from 2.8 injuries per year (14 cases in 5 years) to 0.7 injuries per year (2 cases in 3 years) represents a 75.0% reduction (P ϭ .03). CONCLUSIONS:Parent education delivered in the hospital by maternity nurses reduces newborns' risks of sustaining an abusive head injury resulting from shaking during the first year of life. Pediatrics

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“…Among newborns in Western countries, the prevalence of colic is estimated to be between 5% and 28%. 11 The available evidence suggests that IC has multiple independent causes. IC has been attributed variously to infants' difficulty self-regulating, type of feeding, exposure to cow's milk proteins (especially ␣-lactalbumin) in formula or breast milk, exposure to tobacco smoke, and maternal depression or anxiety.…”

Section: Icmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal Smoking and Infantile Gastrointestinal Dysregulation: The Case of Colic

Shenassa¹,

Brown

2004

Pediatrics

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ABSTRACT. Background. Infants' healthy growth and development are predicated, in part, on regular functioning of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the first 6 months of life, infants typically double their birth weights. During this period of intense growth, the GI tract needs to be highly active and to function optimally. Identifying modifiable causes of GI tract dysregulation is important for understanding the pathophysiologic processes of such dysregulation, for identifying effective and efficient interventions, and for developing early prevention and health promotion strategies. One such modifiable cause seems to be maternal smoking, both during and after pregnancy.Purpose. This article brings together information that strongly suggests that infants' exposure to tobacco smoke is linked to elevated blood motilin levels, which in turn are linked to an increased risk of GI dysregulation, including colic and acid reflux. We base this hypothesis on evidence supporting a link between maternal smoking and infantile colic (IC) and on additional evidence proposing increased motilin release, attributable to exposure to tobacco smoke and its metabolites, as a physiologic mechanism linking maternal smoking with infantile GI dysregulation.Methods. We critically review and synthesize epidemiologic, physiologic, and biological evidence pertaining to smoking and colic, smoking and motilin levels, and motilin and colic.Results. Six studies have investigated the link between maternal smoking and IC, but IC was defined according to Wessel's rule of threes (crying for >3 hours per day, >3 days per week, for >3 weeks) in only 1 of these studies. The remaining studies used definitions that ranged from less-stringent variations of Wessel's criteria to definitions that would suggest excessive crying but not necessarily colic. Results from 5 of these studies suggest that there is an independent association between maternal smoking and excessive crying, as well as IC. Recent studies of the GI system provide strong, but indirect, corroborating evidence suggesting physiologic pathways through which maternal smoking can be linked to IC. This physiologic evidence can be outlined as follows: (1) smoking is linked to increased plasma and intestinal motilin levels and (2) higher-than-average levels of motilin are linked to elevated risks of IC. Although these findings from disparate fields suggest a physiologic mechanism linking maternal smoking with IC, the entire chain of events has not been examined in a single cohort. A prospective study, begun in pregnancy and continuing through the first 4 months of life, could provide definitive evidence linking these disparate lines of research. Key points for such a study are considered.Conclusions. New epidemiologic evidence suggests that exposure to cigarette smoke and its metabolites may be linked to IC. Moreover, studies of the GI system provide corroborating evidence that suggests that (1) smoking is linked to increased plasma and intestinal motilin levels and (2) higher-than-average intesti...

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Systematic review of the occurrence of infantile colic in the community

Cited by 264 publications

References 36 publications

Before the headache

Before the headache

Parent Education by Maternity Nurses and Prevention of Abusive Head Trauma

Maternal Smoking and Infantile Gastrointestinal Dysregulation: The Case of Colic

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