Abstract
Infantile colic is a common disturbance occurring in the first three months of life. It is a benign condition and one of the main causes of pediatric consultation in the early part of life because of its great impact on family life. Some pediatricians are prone to undervalue this issue mainly because of the lack of evidence based medicine guidelines. Up to now, there is no consensus concerning management and treatment. Literature reports growing evidence about the effectiveness of dietary, pharmacological, complementary and behavioral therapies as options for the management of infantile colic. Dietary approach, usually based on the avoidance of cow’s milk proteins in breast-feeding mothers and bottle-fed infants, more recently has seen the rise of new special formulas, such as partially hydrolyzed proteins and low lactose added with prebiotics or probiotics: their efficacy needs to be further documented. Investigated pharmacological agents are Simethicone and Cimetropium Bromide: the first is able to reduce bloating while the second could reduce fussing crying, but it has been tested only for severe infantile colic. No other pain relieving agents have been proposed until now, but some clinical trials are ongoing for new drugs.There is limited evidence supporting the use of complementary and alternative treatments (herbal supplements, manipulative approach and acupuncture) or behavioral interventions.Recent studies have focused the role of microbiota in the pathogenesis of this disturb and so new treatments, such as probiotics, have been proposed, but only few strains have been tested.Further investigations are needed in order to provide evidence-based guidelines.
Highlights
Infantile colic is a common condition worldwide: about one in five infants younger than three months develops colic
Infantile colic is defined as episodes of inconsolable crying in an otherwise healthy infant younger than three months of age, that last at least three hours a day and occur at least three days per week over the course of at least three weeks in a month, a definition first proposed by Wessel [3]
Concomitant risk factors remain partially unknown; maternal smoking, increased maternal age and firstborn status may be associated to the development of infantile colic [5]
Summary
Infantile colic is a common condition worldwide: about one in five infants younger than three months develops colic. Infantile colic is defined as episodes of inconsolable crying in an otherwise healthy infant younger than three months of age, that last at least three hours a day and occur at least three days per week over the course of at least three weeks in a month, a definition first proposed by Wessel [3]. A theory hypnotizes that infant’s nervous or digestive system may be immature Behavioral issues such as family tension or inadequate interaction between parents and infant have been considered, but these issues are really controversial. Concomitant risk factors remain partially unknown; maternal smoking, increased maternal age and firstborn status may be associated to the development of infantile colic [5]. In studies performed based on culturing approach a low amount of
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