AND RELEVANCE Although L reuteri may be effective as treatment for crying in exclusively breastfed infants with colic , there is still insufficient evidence to support probiotic use to manage colic , especially in formula-fed infants , or to prevent infant crying .
IMPORTANCE  Excessive infant crying  is common , distressing , but without proven effective prevention or management options .
Probiotics may be a promising solution .
OBJECTIVE To examine whether probiotics are effective in the prevention/management of crying ( " colic " ) in infants 3 months or younger .
A prospective 10-year study on children who had severe infantile colic.
AIM To evaluate the association between infantile colic and gastrointestinal , allergic and psychological disorders in childhood . METHODS A prospect i ve study was conducted on 103 infants aged 31 - 87 d. After 10 y , between 2001 and 2003 , the children were recalled and a paediatrician evaluated the selected disorders by anamnesis , medical examination , laboratory tests and parent interviews . RESULTS Of the 103 infants enrolled , 96 completed the study . There was an association between infantile colic and recurrent abdominal pain ( p=0.001 ) and allergic disorders : allergic rhinitis , conjunctivitis , asthmatic bronchitis , pollenosis , atopic eczema and food allergy ( p<0.05 ) . Sleep disorders , fussiness , aggressiveness and feelings of supremacy are more frequent in children who suffered from colic during early infancy ( p<0.05 ) . A family history of gastrointestinal diseases and atopic diseases was significantly higher in infants with colic than in controls ( p<0.05 ) . CONCLUSION Susceptibility to recurrent abdominal pain , allergic and psychological disorders in childhood may be increased by infantile colic . Our findings confirm that severe infantile colic might be the early expression of some of the most common disorders in childhood
AND RELEVANCE Although L reuteri may be effective as treatment for crying in exclusively breastfed infants with colic , there is still insufficient evidence to support probiotic use to manage colic , especially in formula-fed infants , or to prevent infant crying .
IMPORTANCE  Excessive infant crying  is common , distressing , but without proven effective prevention or management options .
Probiotics may be a promising solution .
OBJECTIVE To examine whether probiotics are effective in the prevention/management of crying ( " colic " ) in infants 3 months or younger .