Risk factors and long-term outcomes of infantile colic: A nationwide population-based study

Infantile colic is a common condition during early infancy with unclear etiology, likely involving multifactorial mechanisms and gut dysbiosis. This nationwide population-based study investigated perinatal risk factors and long-term health outcomes associated with infantile colic. Using Taiwan’s national birth cohort data from 2010 to 2015, we identified 19,191 infants with colic and 95,955 matched controls. The inclusion criteria for the infantile colic group were having two or more related ICD codes (ICD-9-CM 789.0x and 780.9) between 1 and 5 months of age. Conditional logistic regression was applied to identify associated risk factors, and Cox proportional hazard models assessed outcomes over a 5-year follow-up. Infantile colic was significantly associated with neonatal antibiotic use, cesarean delivery, maternal atopic diseases, maternal major depressive disorder, and maternal irritable bowel syndrome. Children with a history of colic exhibited higher incidence rates of disorders of gut-brain interaction, including constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and other functional abdominal pain disorders. Additionally, increased risks of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and atopic diseases were observed. These findings suggest that infantile colic may reflect early-life biological vulnerabilities linked to gastrointestinal, atopic, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.