Improvement of symptoms in infant colic following reduction of lactose load with lactase.

Transient lactose intolerance has been identified as a possible causative factor in infant colic. A double-blind randomised placebo-controlled crossover study to investigate this has been undertaken in 53 babies with symptoms of colic. Pre-incubation of the feed with lactase resulted in breath hydrogen levels and total crying time which were both at least 45% lower than figures with placebo treatment, in 26% of the full trial group (95% confidence interval 12.9% to 44.4%), and in 38% of compliers (95% confidence interval 18.8% to 59.4%). The remainder did not respond to the same extent. These findings suggest that infant colic may have a multiple aetiology, and that in a significant number of cases the immediate cause is transient lactose intolerance, in which cases pretreatment of feeds with lactase can result in considerable symptomatic benefits.

[1]  R. Barr,et al.  Breath hydrogen excretion in normal newborn infants in response to usual feeding patterns: evidence for "functional lactase insufficiency" beyond the first month of life. , 1984, The Journal of pediatrics.

[2]  M. Levitt.  Production and excretion of hydrogen gas in man. , 1969, The New England journal of medicine.

[3]  R. Korpela,et al.  Comparison of a portable breath hydrogen analyser (Micro H2) with a Quintron MicroLyzer in measuring lactose maldigestion, and the evaluation of a Micro H2 for diagnosing hypolactasia. , 1998, Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation.

[4]  G. S. Harris,et al.  Paroxysmal fussing in infancy, sometimes called colic. , 1954, Pediatrics.

[5]  I. St James-Roberts.  Persistent infant crying. , 1991, Archives of disease in childhood.

[6]  R. Barr.  The Normal Crying Curve: What Do We Really Know? , 1990, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[7]  G. Davidson,et al.  Breath hydrogen response to milk containing lactose in colicky and noncolicky infants. , 1988, The Journal of pediatrics.

[8]  J. P. Campbell.  Dietary treatment of infant colic: a double-blind study. , 1989, The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

[9]  W. Liebman.  Infantile colic. Association with lactose and milk intolerance. , 1981, JAMA.

[10]  J. Hyams,et al.  Colonic hydrogen production in infants with colic. , 1989, The Journal of pediatrics.

[11]  J. Dansky.  Primary Pediatric Care , 1987 .

[12]  L. Sher,et al.  Simethicone in the treatment of infant colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. , 1994, Pediatrics.

[13]  P. Petocz,et al.  Effect of yeast lactase enzyme on "colic" in infants fed human milk. , 1990, The Journal of pediatrics.

[14]  R. Barr,et al.  Infantile colic. Is it a gut issue? , 1991, The Pediatric clinics of North America.

[15]  C. Hwang,et al.  Treatment of Infantile Colic with Surface Active Substance (Simethicone) , 1985, Acta paediatrica Scandinavica.

[16]  H. Blom,et al.  Homocysteine (Hcy) levels, placental vasculopathy and endothelial cell function , 1995 .

[17]  M. Davidson,et al.  Present concepts of infant colic. , 1987, Pediatric annals.

[18]  M. T. Etal.  Simethicone in the Treatment of Infant Colic: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial , 1994 .

[19]  D. Thomas,et al.  Infantile colic and type of milk feeding. , 1987, American journal of diseases of children.

[20]  J. Brand,et al.  Breath hydrogen excretion in infants with colic. , 1990, Archives of disease in childhood.

[21]  R. Heilig.  Dietary treatment. , 1955, Journal of the Indian Medical Association.

[22]  G G Koch,et al.  The use of non-parametric methods in the statistical analysis of the two-period change-over design. , 1972, Biometrics.

[23]  Cole,et al.  A trial of lactase in the management of infant colic , 1998 .