Babies' excessive crying may signal later problems

[Guest guest]

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2004/11/01/eline/links/20041101elin011.

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Babies' excessive crying may signal later problems

Last Updated: 2004-11-01 9:58:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Healthy infants older than three months who cry

incessantly for no apparent reason may be at risk for lower IQ and behavior

problems in their childhood years, new study findings suggest.

Such persistent, uncontrollable crying " seems to be a very good indicator of

potential risk, " Dr. Malla Rao of the National Institutes of Health in

Bethesda, land, told Reuters Health.

As such, Rao said, parents should not simply " dismiss " their child's crying

as being due to gastrointestinal problems such as heartburn or colic, but

should notify their child's pediatrician.

At younger ages, excessive crying among otherwise healthy babies is usually

described as infantile colic, a common condition that affects up to 40

percent of babies, according to various reports. Although the constant

crying is extremely stressful for mothers and the baby's other caretakers,

colic rarely lasts beyond 12 weeks of age and is not known to impact the

infant's long-term brain development.

Whether the same is true when the crying lasts beyond the age usually

associated with colic is unknown. One team of researchers found that such

unexplained crying that lasted for 6 months was associated with later

hyperactivity among 8- and 10-year old children followed from infancy. Rao

and his team investigated whether such prolonged crying may be associated

with abnormal cognitive development as well.

A total of 561 women were enrolled during their second trimester of

pregnancy. Their children were followed until 5 years of age, with periodic

assessments during infancy and afterwards.

At the six-week assessment, 63 women -- none of whom were anxious first-time

mothers -- reported that their child had experienced colic, or daily

uncontrolled and unexplained crying that lasted two weeks or longer. For 15

of these infants, the same behavior was reported at 13 weeks, beyond the

time frame usually associated with colic.

This prolonged crying after the colic stage was associated with poorer

results on tests that measured cognitive development both in infancy and at

5 years old, Rao and his colleagues report in Archives of Disease in

Childhood.

At 6 months of age, for example, infants with prolonged crying scored nearly

five points lower on an intelligence test than those in the comparison

group, who did not show any signs of colic at any age, and lower than those

whose colic did not persist beyond three months.

At 5 years old, the prolonged criers had lower performance and verbal IQ

scores than the comparison group, and also performed worse on tests

measuring eye-hand coordination, the report indicates. These children were

also more likely to be hyperactive and to have discipline problems than

their peers.

None of the infants with prolonged crying had any brain-related or other

major health problems that may have put them at increased risk for

developmental problems, the researchers note. Also, the home environment of

these infants was not greatly different from the others.

" Thus these findings indicate that prolonged crying itself may be a marker

of subsequent impaired cognitive development, " Rao and his team write.

Parents with children who have prolonged crying should " be aware " that there

is a potential for later cognitive problems, Rao said, but they should not

be " overly worried " that their child will have a lower IQ. He advised that

parents should inform their child's doctor so they can together monitor the

child's speech, hearing and other developmental milestones.

It is " safer to follow " the child's development " rather than ignore " the

warning signs, Rao said. " There's no turning back the clock later on in

life. "

SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood, November 2004.

[Guest guest]

>Whether the same is true when the crying lasts beyond the age usually

associated with colic is unknown. One team of researchers found that such

unexplained crying that lasted for 6 months was associated with later

hyperactivity among 8- and 10-year old children followed from infancy. Rao

and his team investigated whether such prolonged crying may be associated

with abnormal cognitive development as well.<

I'm sure others of you will agree with me that the described prolonged crying

and brain development problems is most likely and I believe is vaccine damage.

Dr. Mark Geier believes that mercury in vaccines cause not only autism but both

ADD and Learning Disabilities.

[Guest guest]

I heard this study on the news when it first came out last week. It saddened

me. My son had persistent crying beyond the " typical " range, probably until

about nine months. He never had any vaccines, of course I have my fingers

crossed that he turns out to be one of the exceptions.

Sara

Re: Babies' excessive crying may signal later problems

>Whether the same is true when the crying lasts beyond the age usually

associated with colic is unknown. One team of researchers found that such

unexplained crying that lasted for 6 months was associated with later

hyperactivity among 8- and 10-year old children followed from infancy. Rao

and his team investigated whether such prolonged crying may be associated

with abnormal cognitive development as well.<

I'm sure others of you will agree with me that the described prolonged crying

and brain development problems is most likely and I believe is vaccine damage.

Dr. Mark Geier believes that mercury in vaccines cause not only autism but both

ADD and Learning Disabilities.

[Guest guest]

Could have been allergies?

> I heard this study on the news when it first came out last week.

It saddened me. My son had persistent crying beyond the " typical "

range, probably until about nine months. He never had any vaccines,

of course I have my fingers crossed that he turns out to be one of

the exceptions.

>

> Sara

>

>

> Re: Babies' excessive crying may signal

later problems

>

>

> >Whether the same is true when the crying lasts beyond the age

usually

> associated with colic is unknown. One team of researchers found

that such

> unexplained crying that lasted for 6 months was associated with

later

> hyperactivity among 8- and 10-year old children followed from

infancy. Rao

> and his team investigated whether such prolonged crying may be

associated

> with abnormal cognitive development as well.<

>

> I'm sure others of you will agree with me that the described

prolonged crying and brain development problems is most likely and I

believe is vaccine damage. Dr. Mark Geier believes that mercury in

vaccines cause not only autism but both ADD and Learning

Disabilities.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am not sure, he doesn't show any signs of anything being wrong with him now,

probably because he was never vaccinated. The kid has never had an ear

infection and has only been sick once in his two years, that is something you

don't hear of much anymore. We have allergies in our family, but our doctor

said that it would be a waste to test him for any because he is still an avid

nurser.

Sara

Re: Babies' excessive crying may signal

later problems

>

>

> >Whether the same is true when the crying lasts beyond the age

usually

> associated with colic is unknown. One team of researchers found

that such

> unexplained crying that lasted for 6 months was associated with

later

> hyperactivity among 8- and 10-year old children followed from

infancy. Rao

> and his team investigated whether such prolonged crying may be

associated

> with abnormal cognitive development as well.<

>

> I'm sure others of you will agree with me that the described

prolonged crying and brain development problems is most likely and I

believe is vaccine damage. Dr. Mark Geier believes that mercury in

vaccines cause not only autism but both ADD and Learning

Disabilities.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>