Evaluation of the incidence of infantile colic in patients diagnosed withfamilial mediterranean fever

Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence of infantile colic in patients diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever through retrospective interviews with their parents, and the role of familial Mediterranean fever in the etiology of infantile colic. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between January 2020 and July 2020, with the study group selected among children applying to the General Paediatrics clinic of the Department of Paediatrics in BoluAbantİzzetBaysal University (BAİBÜ) İzzetBaysal Training and Research Hospital. The parents were given sufficient time to acquaint themselves with, and to complete, the questionnaire, which sought to elicit information on the name, surname, age, gender, number of siblings, the presence of familial Mediterranean fever, the use of colchicine and its duration, whether patient's parents are related, the presence of familial Mediterranean fever in the family, whether there are any individuals in the family using colchicine, the Rome criteria for infantile colic, whether the patient has visited the hospital due to attacks, treatments that may be administered at home, and for determining etiological diagnoses, the presence of infantile urinary tract infection, infantile gastro-oesophageal reflux, cow's milk protein allergy, and lactose intolerance. Results: There was no significant gender difference in familial Mediterranean fever and infantile colic (p>0.05). When compared with healthy baby populations, the incidence rate of infantile colic was found to be significantly higher in patients diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever (p<0.001). The analyses of genetic findings showed no significant difference due to any of the genetic mutations that increase the risk for infantile colic (p>0.05). Abdominal pain was the most common complaint among patients with familial Mediterranean fever, followed by high temperature. The results for colchicine use showed that there were only two patients that did not find colchicine beneficial. The overall response rate of treatment was found to be high (94%) when eight patients were excluded from analyses due to the fact that their treatment had just started. The analysis of the risk factors for infantile colic, namely nutritional status, breastfeeding, maternal smoking, and stress during pregnancy, did not reveal a significant difference (p>0.05). Back massage therapy was the most common technique for treatment at home, followed by putting a warm towel on the abdominal area and warm bath, respectively. Parents indicated that the single or combined use of these techniques usually proved effective. Conclusions: The present study showed for the first time that familial Mediterranean fever could be included in the etiology of infantile colic. The finding that patients diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever have more frequent infantile colic attacks shows that considering familial Mediterranean fever as a factor when evaluating irritable babies for infantile colic could be useful. The relevant literature could benefit enormously from large-scale and comprehensive research into the risk factors of maternal smoking, maternal stress during pregnancy, and breastfeeding for infantile colic. Keywords: Familial Mediterranean Fever, Infantile Colic, Etiology of Infantile Colic