Urinary 5-hydroxy-3 indole acetic acid in infantile colic

This study included 21 cases with infantile colic and 14 apparently healthy controls, with age ranged from 143 +/- 147 days for cases and 300 +/- 248 days for controls. Urinary level of 5-hydroxy-3 indole acetic acid [5-OHIAA], a metabolite of serotonin, was studied in the 21 infants with infantile colic and the 14 control subjects. Urinary 5-OHIAA level was significantly higher in colicky infants than in the control group, but no significant difference was found regards the type of feeding pattern and the use of spasmolytics [natural and drugs]