Abstract
Infant colic is a frequent and distressing disorder of early infancy. The Rome IV criteria define colic as occurring from birth until 5 months of age, although emerging evidence suggests that symptoms may persist beyond this threshold. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of infant colic beyond 5 months and evaluate whether the Rome IV diagnostic age cutoff accurately reflects the clinical course of the disorder.
We conducted a cross-sectional, multicenter study across four regions of Colombia during the. Caregivers of infants aged 1-12 months were recruited from general pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinics. Infant colic was diagnosed using the validated Spanish version of the Rome IV Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms (QPGS-IV). Demographic data were analyzed descriptively, and comparisons between age groups (1-4 months vs. 5-12 months) were performed using Fisher's exact test.
A total of 1236 infants were included. Twenty-one (1.7%) met symptomatic Rome IV criteria for infant colic. Prevalence was 3.0% (18/600) at 1-4 months and 0.5% (3/636) at 5-12 months (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found by sex (p = 0.39) or prematurity (p = 0.26). Fourteen percent of all colic cases occurred beyond 5 months, and none beyond 8 months of age.
Infant colic was common during early infancy but rare beyond 5 months, confirming that the Rome IV cutoff reflects the typical clinical course for most infants. However, a small subgroup with persistent symptoms beyond 5 months suggests that the current time boundary may not encompass the full spectrum of infant colic.