Publication details
Percentiles for crying, regurgitation, stool consistency, and CoMiSS™ in presumed healthy infants
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | PEDIATRIC RESEARCH |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-026-05323-7 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-026-05323-7 |
| Description | BACKGROUND: Parents frequently consult health care professionals because of infant regurgitation, crying and stool consistency. OBJECTIVE: The Cow's Milk-related Symptom Score (CoMiSS (TM)) is an awareness tool for cow's milk allergy. We aimed to characterize the distribution of CoMiSS items in presumed healthy infants and developed centiles with these data. METHODS: Data from 2500 infants (median age 5.3 months [Q1-Q3: 2.6-8.8]) across 10 countries were analyzed by pooling individual-level data. RESULTS: Age distribution differed between countries (p < 0.001). Median (Q1; Q3) and mean (SD) total CoMiSS were 4 (2; 6) and 4 (2.6), respectively. Overall CoMiSS <10 was observed in 99%. Crying >3 hours/day occurred in 6.1% at 1-2 months, 4% between birth and 4 months, and <1.5% thereafter. Regurgitating > 5x/day occurred in 7-11% during the first 7 months (peak at 1-4 months: 16-17%) and decreased to <2-4% thereafter. Stool consistency accounted for 93.9% of the score. Atopic dermatitis and respiratory symptom scores are very low. CONCLUSIONS: CoMiSS is stable across age, with transiently higher crying and regurgitation scores below 4 months. CoMiSS >= 10 is uncommon in healthy infants. Age-specific CoMiSS centile charts provide a framework for interpreting common infant symptoms and identifying values warranting further evaluation. |