Milk allergy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milk allergy is as an immunologically mediated adverse reaction to one or more cow's milk proteins.
In some people the ingestion of cow's milk can trigger the body into launching an inappropriate immune response to the proteins in milk resulting in an allergic reaction.
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[edit] Symptoms
The principal symptoms are gastrointestinal, dermatological and respiratory. These can translate to: skin rash, hives, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and distress. The clinical spectrum extends to diverse disorders: anaphylactic reactions, atopic dermatitis, wheeze, infantile colic, gastroesophageal reflux (GER), oesophagitis, allergic colitis and constipation.
The symptoms may occur within a few minutes after exposure in immediate reactions, or after hours (and in some cases after several days) in delayed reactions.
[edit] Difference with lactose intolerance
Milk allergy is a food allergy, an adverse immune reaction to a food protein that is normally harmless to the non-allergic individual. Lactose intolerance is a non-allergic food hypersensitivity: it is due to the deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which is required to digest the predominant sugar in milk.
[edit] Treatment
Currently the only treatment for milk allergies is total avoidance of milk proteins. Initially if the infants are breastfed, the lactating mothers are given an elimination diet. If symptoms are not relieved or if the infants are formula-fed, milk substitute formulas are used to provide the infant with a complete source of nutrition. Milk substitutes include soy milk and hypoallergenic formulas based on hydrolysed protein or free amino acids.
Rice milk or soy milk are also sometimes used as milk substitutes by older children and adults, but is not suitable nutrition for infants.
Some manufacturers also provide fruit juices supplemented with calcium which may provide an alternative for adults and older children.
Milk allergy covers all milk-based products, including milk, yogurt, butter, milk chocolate, cottage cheese and other cheeses. If on an avoidance diet, care must also be taken to avoid food containing the following: milk, skimmed milk, whey powder, cheese, lactose, buttermilk, yogurt, casein, some chocolate, butter and some margarines as these can contain milk.
While it is relatively easy to avoid milk in unprocessed foods, it is commonplace for milk or milk derivatives to be included in processed foods, such as sausages, cakes, some soups, gravies, potato chips/crisps and "TV dinners" (microwaveable ready meals).
Milk is naturally rich in calcium. If on an avoidance diet it is important that dietary advice is taken as a replacement source of calcium may need to be found to prevent the longer term risk of calcium definciency and osteoporosis.
[edit] Statistics
Milk allergy is the most common food allergy. It affects somewhere between 2% and 3% of infants in developed countries, but approximately 85-90% of children lose clinical reactivity to milk once they surpass 3 years of age.[1]
Between 13% and 20% of children allergic to milk are also allergic to beef.[2]
[edit] Reference
- ^ Host A. Frequency of cow's milk allergy in childhood. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;89(6 Suppl 1):33-7. PMID 12487202.
- ^ Martelli, A, A. De Chiara et al (2002). "Beef allergy in children with cow's milk allergy; cow's milk allergy in children with beef allergy." Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 Dec;89(6 Suppl 1):38-43. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12487203&dopt=Abstract
