Researchers from the University of California (UCSF), San Francisco, has affirmed that mothers suffer from migraines are more likely to have colic babies. For their analysis they examined the medical records of more than one hundred and fifty mother and their babies.
The mothers were asked about the crying patterns of their babies and their own history of migraine. Those reactions were analyzed to confirm the relentless crying did certainly fit the clinical definition of colic. They found mothers who suffered migraines were two and half times more prone to have colicky babies.
On the whole, twenty-nine percent of babies whose mothers had migraines had suffered from colic in comparison to eleven percent of babies whose mothers did not suffer from migraines. Otherwise in healthy infant colic or excessive crying has long been associated with gastrointestinal problems most probably caused by something the baby ate.
Dr Amy Gelfand a child neurologist with the Headache Centre at UCSF stated, since migraine is a highly genetic disorder, their study suggests infant colic may be an early sign that a child may be predisposed toward migraine headache later in life. If they can understand what is making the babies cry, they may be able to protect them from this very dangerous outcome.’
Colic could be an early sign of a set of conditions called as childhood periodic syndromes, believed to be antecedents to migraine headaches later in life, believe Dr Gelfand and team. Colicky babies may be more sensitive to stimuli in their environment in similar fashion as are migraine sufferers.
The study is significant as colic or excessive crying is one of the most frequent triggers for shaken baby syndrome, which can cause death, brain damage and severe disability. Now, the UCSF team plans to study a group of colicky babies over the period of their childhood to spot if they develop other childhood periodic syndromes, such as abdominal migraine.