Immunotherapy in babies: the last thing to tolerate cow's milk
The allergy to cow's milk proteins it is the first to appear in the lives of children and babies and, in most cases, it is triggered by the transition from breastfeeding to artificial. There are two types of allergy to Cow milk, the one not mediated by IgE, which tends to be resolved earlier in childhood, and the Mediated IgE that can persist until adolescence.
Now, a team of pediatric allergists at the Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, has shown in a study, a pioneer in the world, that you can eliminate the symptoms of cow's milk allergy in babies by applying oral immunotherapy since the time of the diagnosis, before the first year of life. Thus, the risks of accidentally ingesting cow's milk when children are older are reduced and the quality of life of both the children and their families is improved.
Oral immunotherapy in babies to tolerate cow's milk
So far, the immunotherapy oral with food was applied only in a few Spanish hospitals and after two years in some of them. With this study, conducted with 251 infants with an average of 5 months of life, it is shown that if they receive this treatment from the first day of diagnosis, 98% of babies get tolerance before the year.
The work carried out in the Aragonese hospital has been carried out with Infants with allergy mediated IgE, that affects 0.5% of all newborns. "Until then, the usual treatment is the exclusion or avoidance diet that, in the case of Cow milkIt is not free of risks because it is present in many industrial food products. "In these cases, there are special formulas for infants that provide safe and complete nutritional value to cow's milk." Therefore, if we anticipate the moment in which the child begins to consume this type of food, for example cookies, that is, from the first year, we avoid altering both their quality of life and that of their families due to the constant fear of accidental intake ", explains .
Symptoms of cow's milk allergy
In IgE-mediated reactions, symptoms appear between minutes and two hours after the cow's milk intake, almost always before one hour elapses. The intensity of reactions varies from mild to reactions that can compromise the child's life such as anaphylaxis. Clinical symptoms can affect the skin, oropharynx, upper and lower respiratory tract, gastrointestinal system and cardiovascular symptoms.
"The goal is to reeducate the immune system to induce tolerance, so if we carry it out before they reach the first year of life, when their immune system is in full development, the advantages are greater," says the doctor. Boné. The The most frequent symptoms were cutaneous (58%) "All received oral immunotherapy from the time of diagnosis and in 98% of cases achieved tolerance to milk, which gives a very encouraging future for those with allergies to other foods such as eggs, the most frequent in young children ", he emphasizes.
Promising results for children and babies allergic to cow's milk
These results "are very encouraging from the physical and emotional point of view, since it opens the door to a better quality of life for many children who can start their schooling without fear of suffering symptoms", explains Ana Murillo, delegate in Aragón de la Spanish Association of People with Food Allergy and Latex (AEPNAA).
Allergic disease such as that of cow's milk causes problems for both the young and their families, in many cases when the baby is still breastfeeding implies even avoidance diet for the mother. "In addition, food allergy leads to conflicts when it comes to make the purchase, check the labels or make meals outside the home, since the risks of accidental intake are very high. "On the other hand, it also causes an alteration in their social relations," because they arrive at school and are excluded from certain activities and tend to have difficulties of adaptation and integration ", points out Thus, the child with one year becomes already tolerant thanks to oral immunotherapy, "implies the avoidance of all these problems for both them and their parents," he adds.
Doctor Javier Boné. Study coordinator and president of the Congress Organizing Committee.
