The infant colic affect babies 1 to 4 months old who have long periods of crying that are difficult to soothe and without an obvious cause. In toddlers, this crying is often associated with discomfort and restlessness. “Although the prognosis is benign, the incidence of colic estimated at between 20 and 25% of infants and the anxiety they cause make it a public health problem that cannot be neglected” underlines Dr Marc Bellaïche of the Francophone Group of Hepatology-Gastroenterology and Pediatric Nutrition (GFHGNP).
When are we talking about infant colic?
Previously a “rule of three” fixed that the colic-related crying were to occur:
- Over a period of 3 hours or more per day
- For at least 3 days a week
- Persist for more than a week.
“This rule is obsolete and new diagnostic rules are defined” explains the GFHGNP. The criteria are now as follows:
- Infant less than 5 months old
- Recurrent and prolonged periods of crying, with restlessness or irritability that occur without an obvious cause and that cannot be avoided or resolved by parents
- Absence of psychomotor retardation or identified disease.
How is it treated?
“No pharmacological treatment is legitimate” says Dr Bellaïche. “Lactase supplementation has no clinical benefit. simeticone (a medicine for functional bowel disorders) and sucrose (for pain relief) also have no proven efficacy “.
For pediatricians, the therapeutic strategy is not to cure colic but to help parents to go through this difficult period of their baby’s development.
Listening and parental guidance are the first pillar of this treatment. “We explain this functional disorder by allowing parents to be involved in the care through a diary of the baby or a connected follow-up (https://coliq.net/) “.
Probiotics are the second pillar of this treatment.
What strain of probiotics?
Probiotics have been shown to have a beneficial role in colic through several mechanisms:
- Reduction of intestinal inflammation
- Restoration and preservation of the intestinal barrier
- Reduction of gastric distension and gas
But the family, the species or even the strain of the probiotic are also important. Meta-analyzes are now converging on the efficacy of a probiotic derived from breast milk: Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (patented by the BioGaia laboratory under the name L. reuteri Protectis). “It is to date the only strain recognized as having proven its effectiveness in the management of colic in infants. breastfed infants“ underlines the GFHGNP. Administering 5 drops per day reduced crying time by 51 minutes in 1 month old infants and 33 minutes in 3 month old babies.
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