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Colic, Infantile

Daniel T. Lee, MA, MD, Phillip Charles Brown, MD and Orly Bell, MPH, MD Reviewed 04/2024
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Colic is defined as excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant.

  • A commonly used criteria is the Wessel criteria or the Rule of Three, when crying lasts for:

    • >3 hr/day

    • >3 days...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Evaluation for Wessel criteria or Rome IV criteria.

  • Thorough history to rule out organic causes.

  • Episodes usually have a clear beginning and end and generally occur more often in the af...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Soothe by holding and rocking the baby (1)[B].

  • Use a pacifier (1)[B].

  • Use gentle rhythmic motions (e.g., strollers, infant swings, car rides) (1)[B].

  • Use white noise (e.g., v...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Frequent outpatient visits as needed for parental reassurance, education, monitoring, and to ensure the health of the infant and parents. 

Patient Monitoring

Follow...

REFERENCES

1
Johnson  JD, Cocker  K, Chang  E. Infantile colic: recognition and treatment. Am Fam Physician.  2015;92(7):577–582. [View Abstract on OvidMedline] ...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Anheyer D, Frawley J, Koch AK, et al. Herbal medicines for gastrointestinal disorders in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2017;139(6)....

CODES

ICD10

R10.83 Colic 

SNOMED

35363006 Infantile colic (finding) 

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Colic is defined as excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant (3 hr/day, 3 days/week, persists >3 weeks).

  • Colic usually subsides spontaneously by 3 to 5 months of age.

  • Provide a...

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