YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE: CAUSE OF COLIC
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009‘Colic’ is one of the most vexing and difficult problems in infancy, equally common in breastfed and bottle-fed babies. One recent Australian study found that 60% of parents reported that their babies had suffered from ‘colic’. The fact that it is so common is little consolation for parents faced with a baby who is crying, fussing, and irritable for no apparent reason, and who cannot be made to settle. It is very distressing for mothers and other family members, and often exasperating for doctors and nurses as well.
There have been scores of articles and research reports published over the years, yet still little is known about the cause of ‘colic’ and the most appropriate and effective management of it. Everybody has a different view of what ‘colic’ is, and there are many different opinions about virtually every aspect of the condition.
Cause
Some of the medical reasons given include gastrointestinal (gastrooesophageal reflux, excess gas), infections (ear or urinary tract infections), hernias (inguinal, umbilical), neurological (irritable nervous system, neurological immaturity), allergy (mother’s diet, milk given to baby), nappy rash and other sources of irritation. Crying has been blamed on feeding techniques, either too much milk or milk given in the wrong way. Emotional problems in the mother have been blamed, as has a difficult temperament in the baby. Other babies are said to have a problem of too much wind, though this has never been proven to be a cause.
It is probable that a very small proportion of babies who are said to have ‘colic’ suffer from an identifiable medical problem. However, the common ‘diagnoses’ of too much wind or milk allergy are made far too frequently, with very little evidence that they represent real conditions in this age group. The vast majority of babies have no clearly recognisable cause for their difficult behaviour.
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