Management of infantile colics: epidemiologic survey

Infantile colics are a very common pathology with a multifactorial etiology ; this fact influences the treatment approach that may be varied and not al ways effective. The aim of the authors is to know, by mean of a questionnaire, the differen t kinds of treatment (farmacologic or dietetic) wich various pediatricians have used in different italian regions. They heve taken part in this epidem iologic study enrolling their own patiens affected by infantile colics and collecting the information about them in an anamnestic questionnaire. In th is paper we are giving you the results. Colics were divided into mild (29.4 %), moderate (39.6 %) and severe (31 %) according to a scoring system base d on crying characteristics. From the 548 questionnaires that we recived it can be seen that 15.1 % of c ases were not treated with a pharmacologic or dietetic treatments, whereas in 37.2 % of cases drugs to reduce painful gut contractions (cimetropio bro mide) and in 15.5 % of cases drug to reduce the formation of intraluminal g as (simethicone) were used; in 14.4 % of cases dietary modifications were a dopted. In the case of mild colic cimetropio bromide and simethicone were u sed in 29.2 % and 19.9 % of cases respectively whereas in moderate colics i n 21.7 % and 34.6 % of cases, respectively with dietary changements in 12 % are adopted. Severe colics have always induced to treatment, dietary modif ications were made in 28.2 % and drug to reduce painful gut contractions we re given in 47.6 % of the cases.