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Trial Lecture – time and place
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Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Elisabeth Holm Hansen, University of South-Eastern Norway
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Christina Louis Lindhardt, University of Southern Denmark
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Trygve Skonnord, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Ketil Størdal, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
MD, PhD Håvard Ove Skjerven, Oslo University Hospital
Summary
Infant colic and pain up to 3 months of age
Whether infant colic is part of normal development, an imbalance in the central nervous system. caused by factors in the environment, or due to gastrointestinal discomfort is unclear.
The aims of the thesis were to determine the prevalence and possible overlap of infant colic, abdominal pain, and visits to health care providers with pain or other discomforts (infant pain); and further, to explore the associations between infant pain symptoms and perinatal risk factors, maternal stress and infant multimorbidity (infections, eczema and food sensitivity) until three months postpartum.
Data from the prospective birth cohort study PreventADALL (Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and ALLergies) was used.
We found that the incidence of colic was 3% (59), abdominal pain 22% (415) and for children who visited the health care provider with pain the incidence was 6% (119). A total of 26% (476/1852) of the infants had one, two or all three of the pain symptoms, i.e. the symptoms partly overlapped.
Mothers who had sick leave or allergic disease during pregnancy more often reported that the infant had colic, abdominal pain and/or visited the health care provider with infant pain.
When the infant was 3 months old, mothers with high stress more often reported that the infant had colic and/or visited the health care provider with pain. The mothers' stress did not affect the infant's stress.
Infants with pain had higher odds for infections in the eye, ear, stomach, upper/lower respiratory tract and other cold/virus symptoms than children without pain. Infants with abdominal pain also had more frequent eczema and urinary tract infections.
The results highlight and confirm the multifactorial associations with the infant's pain symptoms. This knowledge can provide a better understanding and be useful when planning diagnostics, treatment, information and stress management strategies in infant and family care.
Additional information
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