[Infantile colic--an assessment of possible risk factors].
Infantile colic is defined as crying or fussing for more than three hours a day for more than three days a week. The aetiology is unknown, although many hypotheses have been examined: allergy, type of feeding, the development of the gastrointestinal tract, the development of the central nervous system, and the mother/infant relationship. The frequency varies between 8% and 40% in industrialised countries. We found that education, parity, age, obstetric factors, and gender were not important risk factors. There are no unambiguous results on psychosocial risk factors and infantile colic. Giving parents advice and education in parenting were more effective than changing diets. Elimination of cow's milk or the diet of the mother had some effect. This review comprises studies where infantile colic is defined quantitatively. Despite this, no unambiguous results, which are consistent with a multifactorial aetiology were found.
Søndergaard
C
C
Den Medicinske Forskningsenhed i Ringkjøbing Amt, Aarhus Universitet, Center for Epidemiologisk Grundforskning. cos@dadlnet.dk
Olsen
J
J
Dirdal
M
M
Friis-Hasché
E
E
Sørensen
H T
HT
D003085:Colic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors