First author Country QS2-150 |
Source of study population Infant's age at assessment Method of data collection | Definition of infantile colic as used for occurrence estimate | Period of data reporting on occurrence | Invited (n) | Participated (n) | Occurrence of infantile colic (%) | |||||||
van der Wal43 | Well baby clinic | 1 Crying >3 hours/day | 0–3 months | 2 180 | 1 826 | 1 | 8% | ||||||
Netherlands | Infants at age 2–3 months | 2 Crying a lot | 2 | 14% | |||||||||
QS=5 | Questionnaires to be filled out by nurse/physician at scheduled visit and questionnaire at home | 3 Difficult to comfort | 3 | 10% | |||||||||
Canivet29 2-151 | Newborns from hospital | 1 Wessel's2-159criteria or needed medication | 0–3 months | 254 | 224 | 1 | 12% | ||||||
Sweden | Infants from mothers who refused to participate in prospective study | 2 Crying/screaming >1 hour per day during 4 days/week, in one week2-154 | 2 | 15% | |||||||||
QS=4 | Telephone interview at age 5–7 months | 3 Crying is a problem for the mother | 3 | 12% | |||||||||
Lothe31 | Newborns from hospital | Intermittent unexplained excessive crying, many times a day, at least 4 days a week, and continuing for 1 week, at least 3 hours per day | 0–3 months | 242 | 219 | 17% | |||||||
Sweden | Infants followed from birth to 12 weeks | ||||||||||||
QS=4 | 1. Questionnaire given at birth (n = 78) | ||||||||||||
2. Telephone interview at 3–4 months (n = 141) | |||||||||||||
St James-Roberts19 | Birth register | Referral to professional for crying | 1–3 months | nr2-153 | 100 | 10% | |||||||
UK | Infants under age 1 year | or | |||||||||||
QS=4 | Mailed questionnaire (CPQ)2-152 | Crying for more than 3 hours per day | 29% | ||||||||||
Alvarez30 | Birth register | Need of professional help | 0–3 months | 174 | 140 | 15% | |||||||
Denmark | Infants under age 1 year | or | |||||||||||
QS=4 | Mailed questionnaire (CPQ) | Crying for more than 3 hours per day | 21% | ||||||||||
Crowcroft42 | Birth register | Question: was your baby colicky? | 0–1 month | 72 995 | 67 172 | 18% | |||||||
UK | Questionnaire administered by health visitor at age 1 month | ||||||||||||
QS=3 | |||||||||||||
Thomas36 | Source not reported | Recurrent episodes of unexplained crying and irritability >1 week | 2–52 weeks | 1 022 | 964 | 20% | |||||||
USA | Infants 2 weeks to 12 months of age | ||||||||||||
QS=2 | Questionnaire personal or by telephone | ||||||||||||
Ståhlberg20 | Birth register | Gas problems or infantile colic leading to unexplained periods of crying and restlessness | ‘Early infancy’ | 431 | 323 | 40% | |||||||
Finland | Mailed questionnaire to each 10th child at age 14–38 months | ||||||||||||
QS=0 |
↵2-150 QS = quality score; range 0–5 (for details see table 4).
↵2-151 Study with prospective and retrospective part; only retrospective data in table.
↵2-152 CPQ: crying patterns questionnaire.
↵2-154 The definition including the 3 weeks criterion was considered unrealistic to search for retrospectively (see table 1).
↵2-153 nr: not reported.
↵2-159 Wessel's criteria: crying for 3 hours or more on at least 3 days in at least 3 weeks.