Myths and Facts about Infantile Colic

Infantile colic is a common condition affecting 10% to 30% of infants in the first 3 months of life. Infantile colic can be quite distressing to the parents. The condition cannot be clearly defined because of its variability. Nevertheless, the definition given by Wessel (1954) is still widely accepted. It is based on the rule of three: crying for more than three hours per day, for more than three days per week, and for more than three weeks in an infant that is well-fed and otherwise healthy(1). Despite the fact that it has been more than 50 since it was first defined, the etiology is still vague. The causes of excessive crying in infants can be divided into two categories organic and non-organic. The later accounts for almost 95% of the cases, see Table 1.