Current Size: 100%
Facts about infant colic
Infant colic (also known as baby colic, three-month colic, infantile colic and colic)
Infant colic is defined as excessive crying for more than three hours a day at least three days a week for one week or more in an otherwise healthy baby. It is most frequently observed in neonates and infants aged two weeks to four months. Infant colic is diagnosed in as many as 26% of infants, making the condition one of the most common reasons for visits to paediatricians and family practitioners. Colic usually disappears when the child has reached the age of three months. Therefore, the condition is sometimes called three-month colic. Colic is equally common in breast-fed children as in children who receive infant formula.
Cause
There is no single explanation to why a child may be colic, but there are various theories:
- The child's intestines are over-active and cause, through their powerful movements, cramps and pains in the intestines
- Intestinal air produces pressure which causes stomach ache. This may be due to the child eating too fast and thereby swallowing air
- There is a relationship between the child's colic and the mother drinking cow's milk and products containing cow’s milk. The cow's milk is transferred to the baby through breastfeeding.
Colic is not harmful and will eventually disappear by itself, but for many families the baby's colic can be very stressful.
Symptoms
Colic can be recognized by a number of typical characters:
- The child cries violently, sometimes for several hours at a time. The crying occurs at the same time every day, usually during the evening and at night. The baby is crying for no apparent reason
- The child has stomach ache, and often flex his or her legs towards the stomach, as in convulsion
- When the child has pain it wants to suck and eat, even if it has just eaten. Maybe because it misinterprets the pain for hunger. This may lead to a negative circle as the stomach pain gets worse if the baby eats too much
- Colic starts during the first two to four weeks after birth and will often last until the baby is around three months old.
Treatment
There are a number of different ways of treating colic, however few with clinical documented effect.
The probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri has proven effect on reducing the crying time in colicky infants. In 2007 a clinical study was published showing the effects of BioGaia Probiotic drops containing L. reuteri in comparison to simethicone (one of the more used treatments for colic). After four weeks the crying time was reduced by 74% in the BioGaia probiotic group and by 26 % in the simethicone group.
Another clinical study was published in 2010 confirmed that L. reuteri Protectis reduced the crying time. After only one week of supplementation the reduction in daily crying time was 74 % among the infants supplemented by L. reuteri Protectis compared to 38 % in the placebo group. Read more about the studies here.
BioGaia Probiotic drops are a simple, safe and convenient way to reduce colic, to improve digestive health and function and to boost immunity. Since they can be added to food or drink, or given on a spoon, they are perfect for infants and small children or other persons unable to ingest tablets. The drops contain Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) Protectis suspended in oil. Just five drops a day provides the recommended daily dose of 100 million active health-promoting L. reuteri Protectis bacteria, ready to fight off harmful bacteria and create a healthy balance in the alimentary tract. Read more about the drops here.
Find Care
A child who has symptoms of colic should be examined by a doctor to ensure that the pain is not due to another illness. Infants may show similar symptoms if they, for example, have an infection of the ear or in the urinary tract, squeezed hernia, scrotum pain from a twisted testicle, or are hypersensitive to foods, for example cow's milk.
References
Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17 938 in Infantile Colic: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Savino F, Cordisco L, Tarasco V, Palumeri, E, Calabrese R, Oggero R and Roos S. (2010) Pediatrics. 126: 526-533.
Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection strain ATCC 55730) versus Simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic: a prospective randomized study. Savino F, Pelle E, Palumeri E, Oggero R, Miniero R. (2007) Pediatrics 119:124-130.
Hyman PE et al. Childhood Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Neonate/Toddler. J Gastroenterology 2006;130:1519-1526.