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Colic

The Basics | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

What Is Colic?

About 20% of all infants suffer from colic - spates of crying that go on for hours for no apparent reason. Although distressing for the child and exhausting and emotionally draining for parents, the condition itself is benign and usually ends by the time a child is four months old.

What Causes It?

The cause of colic is not known. Experts attribute it to any number of things, including an infant's immature digestive system, allergies, hormones in breast milk, and overfeeding.

Medically reviewed by Steven Spark, MD, June 2005.

Sources: Parker S, Zuckerman, B and Augustyn M. (editors). Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics: A Handbook for Primary Care, Lippincott, 2005.

The Basics | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention
© 2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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