Infant colic is a very frequent nuisance in newborns that causes uncontrolled crying in babies and great anguish in parents. There is nothing to indicate that the child may be predisposed to have them, however a study published last month has concluded that the presence of a bacterium in the intestines of babies could be the cause of colic.
The bacteria in question is called Klebsiella, a microorganism that belongs to the family of enterobacteria and that lodges in the intestinal tract and in the skin.
The researchers looked at a group of babies and found this type of bacteria along with intestinal inflammation in all babies suffering from colic.
They believe that the bacteria could cause an inflammation of the intestines responsible for the great discomfort it causes in newborn babies. While in babies who did not suffer from colic, they found other types of bacteria, but not klebsiella, which would indicate that some bacteria are beneficial to the intestine.
They also assume that suffering from baby colic could predispose to future gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease.
The funny thing is that one day, between 3 and 6 months of life of the baby, colic disappears. With which to be responsible the named bacterium should for some reason also dissipate from the intestine of the little ones.
More research is needed in this regard, but if this bacterium is the cause of colic, the good news is that it could be treated with probiotics, a dietary supplement of “good” bacteria that help strengthen the immune system and control intestinal inflammation.
