Disease: Colic

Overview

Colic is frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in a healthy infant. Colic can be particularly frustrating for parents because the baby's distress occurs for no apparent reason and no amount of consoling seems to bring any relief. These episodes often occur in the evening, when parents themselves are often tired.

Episodes of colic usually peak when an infant is about 6 weeks old and decline significantly after 3 to 4 months of age. While the excessive crying will resolve with time, managing colic adds significant stress to caring for your newborn child.

You can take steps that may lessen the severity and duration of colic episodes, alleviate your own stress, and bolster confidence in your parent-child connection.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Symptoms

Fussing and crying are normal for infants, especially during the first three months. And the range for what is normal crying is difficult to pin down. In general, colic is defined as crying for three or more hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks.

Features of colic may include the following:

  • Intense crying that may seem more like screaming or an expression of pain
  • Crying for no apparent reason, unlike crying to express hunger or the need for a diaper change
  • Extreme fussiness even after crying has diminished
  • Predictable timing, with episodes often occurring in the evening
  • Facial discoloring, such as reddening of the face or paler skin around the mouth
  • Bodily tension, such as pulled up or stiffened legs, stiffened arms, clenched fists, arched back, or tense abdomen

Sometimes there is relief in symptoms after the infant passes gas or has a bowel movement. Gas is likely the result of swallowed air during prolonged crying.

When to see a doctor

Excessive, inconsolable crying may be colic or an indication of an illness or condition that causes pain or discomfort. Schedule an appointment with your child's doctor for a thorough exam if your infant experiences excessive crying or other signs or symptoms of colic.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Causes

The cause of colic is unknown. It may result from numerous contributing factors. While a number of causes have been explored, it's difficult for researchers to account for all the important features, such as why it usually begins late in the first month of life, how it varies among infants, why it happens at certain times of day and why it resolves on its own in time.

Possible contributing factors that have been explored include:

  • Digestive system that isn't fully developed
  • Imbalance of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract
  • Food allergies or intolerances
  • Overfeeding, underfeeding or infrequent burping
  • Early form of childhood migraine
  • Family stress or anxiety

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Diagnosis

Your baby's doctor will do a complete physical exam to identify any possible causes for your baby's distress. The exam will include:

  • Measuring your baby's height, weight and head circumference
  • Listening to the heart, lungs and abdominal sounds
  • Examining the limbs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears and genitals
  • Assessing reaction to touch or movement
  • Looking for signs of rash, inflammation, or other signs of infection or allergies

Lab tests, X-rays and other diagnostic tests aren't usually needed, but in unclear cases they help to exclude other conditions as possible causes.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Complications

Colic does not cause short-term or long-term medical problems for a child.

Colic is stressful for parents. Research has shown an association between colic and the following problems with parent well-being:

  • Increased risk of postpartum depression in mothers
  • Early cessation of breast-feeding
  • Feelings of guilt, exhaustion, helplessness or anger

Shaken baby syndrome

The stress of calming a crying baby has sometimes prompted parents to shake or otherwise harm their child. Shaking a baby can cause serious damage to the brain and death. The risk of these uncontrolled reactions is greater if parents don't have information about soothing a crying child, education about colic and the support needed for caring for an infant with colic.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Alternative medicine

Several small studies have shown some benefits or mixed results for alternative treatments. There's not enough evidence, however, to judge the potential benefit over the risks. Alternative remedies under investigation include:

  • Herbal teas
  • Herbal remedies, such as fennel oil
  • Sugar water
  • Gripe water, a mix of water and herbs
  • Massage therapy
  • Chiropractic manipulation
  • Acupuncture

Known risks include the following issues:

  • Regular use of herbal teas or other liquid preparations may lead to decreased milk intake or a drop in sodium levels in an infant's blood.
  • The lack of product regulation may result in contamination, unlabeled ingredients or inconsistent dosages in herbal remedies.
  • Some homeopathic remedies contain low amounts of potentially toxic substances.

Talk to your doctor before using an alternative medicine to treat your infant for colic.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Risk factors

Risk factors for colic are not well-understood. Research has not shown differences in risk when the following factors were considered:

  • Sex of the child
  • Preterm and full-term pregnancies
  • Formula-fed and breast-fed babies

Infants born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy or after delivery have an increased risk of developing colic.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

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