Allergies And Other Causes

Another best-substantiated cause of colic is a milk allergy. The protein in commercial formula made from cow’s milk may not be entirely adapted to humans. This can set up a reaction in the intestine with inflammation, and occasionally, with bloody diarrhea. An eczema-like rash or a runny nose may be an early indication of milk allergy, but they may not occur at all. Colic may be the only symptom. Although the diagnosis of allergy may be difficult to prove, the treatment is simple: the cow’s milk formula can be changed to another kind of formula, most often those that are soy-based.

In addition, numerous other causes of colic exist, because colic is simply a non-specific symptom. That is why different infants require different therapies. Your pediatrician will help you find what is appropriate for your infant. If you recall the analogy of fever to colic that we used earlier, you will see that treatment of colic is the place where that parallels between these symptoms no longer holds. If you reduce the fever without knowing the cause of the fever, the fever will often return. On the other hand, if the infant’s irritability can be controlled, his colicky symptoms will often abate (unless some underlying intestinal problem is the cause, and that is relatively rare).

The reason is that the infant’s irritability is a vicious cycle subject to his distention and crying. He is irritable and cries, swallowing air, becoming distended. This leads to further irritability and crying. Yet that cycle can be broken.