The following is a summary of “A New Perspective on the Pathogenesis of Infantile Colic: Is Infantile Colic a Biorhythm Disorder?,” published in the August 2023 issue of Pediatrics by Egeli, et al.

For a prospective cohort study, researchers sought to investigate the relationship between infantile colic, migraine, and biorhythm regulation by evaluating biochemical and molecular parameters.

Healthy infants with and without infantile colic were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire was administered to gather relevant information. Spot urine excretion of serotonin, cortisol, and 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, as well as day and night circadian histone gene H3f3b mRNA expression, were examined during the sixth and eighth postnatal weeks.

The study included 95 infants, out of which 49 were diagnosed with infantile colic. The colic group showed increased defecation difficulty, sensitivity to light/sound, and maternal migraine frequency, and sleep disruption was common. In the melatonin analysis, the control group demonstrated a significant difference between day and night levels, indicating an established circadian rhythm (P = 0.014). Serotonin levels were greater at night, but there was no difference between day and night in the colic group for melatonin (P = 0.216). Day and night levels for both groups in the cortisol analysis were comparable. H3f3b mRNA levels varied significantly from day to night between the groups, indicating circadian rhythm disturbance in the colic group in comparison to the control group (P = 0.003). Circadian hormone and gene fluctuations—which are typical of a healthy rhythm—were seen in the control group but not in the colic group.

The study highlighted the gaps in understanding the etiopathogenesis of infantile colic and the lack of an effective treatment. By utilizing molecular methods, the study demonstrated that infantile colic is a biorhythm disorder for the first time, providing a new perspective for treatment strategies and filling an important gap in the field.

Source: journals.lww.com/jpgn/Abstract/2023/08000/A_New_Perspective_on_the_Pathogenesis_of_Infantile.8.aspx