The Relationship Between Maternal Migraine and Infantile Colic: A Case-Control Study

Infantile colic is a prevalent issue within the first three months of life. Research indicates that children of mothers who suffer from migraines are more than twice as likely to experience colic.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between a history of maternal migraines and the occurrence of infantile colic.

A case-control study involving 154 infants who visited the Rafsanjan Pediatric Clinic in 2022 was conducted. The participants were selected through convenience sampling and categorized into two groups based on the Wessel criteria for colic: Infants with colic (n = 77) and those without (n = 77), ensuring they were matched for age and sex. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed by the researchers, which gathered information on the mother and infant’s age, the infant’s sex, number of pregnancies, gestational age, birth weight, method of feeding, paternal history of migraines, and maternal fulfillment of the International Headache Society’s migraine criteria.

The analysis revealed that a history of maternal migraines was significantly more common in infants with colic than in the control group (Odds Ratio [OR]=6.17, P < 0.001). Further, multivariable logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, indicated that a maternal history of migraines increased the likelihood of infantile colic fivefold (OR = 5.008, 95% confidence interval: 2.258 to 11.104, P < 0.001).

This study confirms a significant association between maternal migraines and infantile colic, suggesting that maternal migraines could be a risk factor for colic in infants.