NEW ORLEANS—Infants with a maternal history of migraine are more than twice as likely to have colic than infants without such a history, according to a study presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Evidence suggests that infants with a paternal history of migraine also may be more likely to have colic, but the data for this finding are not conclusive.
“Mothers who have a history of migraine can be counseled that their baby may be at higher risk for colic, which may help them prepare better for that possibility,” Amy Gelfand, MD, told Neurology Reviews. “In addition, when evaluating a child with episodic headaches, pediatricians and neurologists can ask about a history of colic during infancy, and this may help lead them toward a diagnosis of migraine sooner, which would allow the child to receive appropriate treatment sooner.” Dr. Gelfand is a pediatric neurologist at the Headache Center of the University of California at San Francisco.
Surveying Parents’ Migraine History Dr. Gelfand and colleagues sought to determine whether maternal migraine was associated with an increased prevalence of infant colic, or excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant. To minimize recall bias, Dr. Gelfand assessed colic when babies were six to eight weeks old, when the condition is at its peak.
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