Whats the difference between colic and reflux???

Answer 1

My daughter had silent reflux. This means she had reflux but didn't spit up. Basically, the stomach acids would come up her throat, burning it, but it would then go back down before it became actual spit up. It was difficult to diagnose at first because I only knew she was crying ALL THE TIME, but couldn't figure out why. It was very rough.

Colic crying is usually confined to a specific time of day, like the evening and is typified by the "rule of 3's"
-starts around the 3 week mark
-crying happens for about 3 hours
-occurs at least 3 times a week
-lasts until approximately 3 months

Reflux symptoms are:
* constant or sudden crying or colic like symptoms
* irritability and pain
* poor sleep habits typically with frequent waking
* arching their necks and back during or after eating
* spitting-up or vomiting
* wet burp or frequent hiccups
* frequent ear infections or sinus congestion

If it's getting really bad, it may include these symptoms:
* refusing food or accepting only a few bites despite being hungry or the exact opposite requiring constant small meals or liquid
* food/oral aversions
* anemia
* excessive drooling
* running nose, sinus infections
* swallowing problems, gagging, choking
* chronic hoarse voice
* frequent red, sore throat without infection present
* apnea
* chronic ear infections
* respiratory problems—pneumonia, bronchitis, wheezing, asthma, night-time cough, aspiration
* gagging themselves with their fingers or fist (sign of esophagitis)
* poor weight gain, weight loss, failure to thrive
* erosion of dental enamel
* neck arching (Sandifer's Syndrome)
* bad breath

My daughter often looked like she was chewing and swallowing and would get hoarse from the irritation in her throat. When we were diagnosed, she started on Zantac and we were all so much happier.

ETA: I just saw Tracey's post and she summed it up nicely.

Answer 2

As I understand it, colic has more to do with the lower end of the digestive tract (gassiness) and reflux has more to do with the upper part (acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus). Both can cause discomfort for a baby, but there are some things you can do to try to treat each, although there is no cure for sure.

Answer 3

Reflux is when the formula/breastmilk that a baby drinks comes back up - some babies will just spit it up and be fine, others will spit up and cry and others like my daughter have silent reflux, she never spits up but it caused her a lot of pain (acid was coming up and going back down). One of the pediatricians I spoke to misdiagnosed my daughter as having colic (they both can cause a lot of crying and are very similar in the symptoms too), they believe colic is caused by hurting in a baby's belly. They also say if your baby cries for 3 hours, 3 days in a row for 3 weeks in a row it's considered colic.

Answer 4

i have never had to deal with a child with colic, but my now 5 year had reflux when she was born. I have the understanding that colic is alot of crying and screaming and is rather difficult to comfort the baby. When i had to deal the reflux i didnt have to deal with alot of crying but she did vomit up everything, everytime she ate until she was near 1 1/2 years. Although i did luck out and she was able to absorb enough to not lose weight and get sick on me.

Answer 5

You are to be congratulated for asking a very astute question. Colic affects about one in four infants. Boys, girls, bottle fed, breast fed, first-time mothers, experienced mothers, anxious mothers, calm mothers, it makes no difference. We don't know why most of these babies suffer from colic. It just has to run its course, usually from ages 3 weeks to three months, but often longer. Since babies don't die of colic, there is not a lot of scientific research directed to it. There is no National Colic Foundation. Consequently we have been treating colic symptomatically for eons.

Your question implies that colic might be caused by reflux, the regurgitation of acid stomach contents into the esophagus, causing esophageal erosion and pain. It's a nice hypothesis. One problem is, to validate the hypothesis it requires some invasive procedures. Most pediatric GI specialists might balk at ordering barium meals (not very accurate for reflux, anyway), insert esophageal electrodes, or do esophagoscopy on tiny babies. I suppose some docs have tried various drugs to reduce gastric acidity, but to my knowledge, they are not officially approved for use in infancy. One anti-reflux drug, metoclopropramide, has been shown to have adverse side effects in infants.

So, your implied question, does reflux cause colic, remains unanswered for now.

Answer 6

colic is
"Severe abdominal pain caused by spasm, obstruction, or distention of any of the hollow viscera, such as the intestines. Often a condition of early infancy, colic is marked by chronic irritability and crying"

Reflux (Gastric)
"A backflow of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus, caused by relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter."

Reflux is a lot of spit up, sometimes upset stomach but not the crying that accompanies colic