Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Cow’s milk allergy is the most frequent food allergy in childhood. Delayed diagnosis may

cause a number of system dysfunctions, while incorrect diagnosis may result in deficient nutrition of mother and child. As in other types of allergies, food allergy is also a growing problem in recent years. Our aim was to determine the characteristics of our cow’s milk allergy cases and see if there was an increasing trend.

METHODS

The study was retrospective and cross-sectional. Patient data were collected from Pediatric Allergy Department patient files. Food allergy cases were reviewed and patients fulfilling the criteria of cow’s milk allergy were included in the study.

RESULTS

A total of 105 cow’s milk allergy cases out of 264 food allergies who were followed up

between 2003-2011. Most of the patients were under 2 years of age (78.1%), were males (62.9%) and came with a certain history (79.1%). IgE mediated cases constituted the majority (75.2%). More than half of the patients admitted in 2010 and 2011. This was mostly due to the increased number of patients less than twelve months of age (p=0.015). Most frequently involved system was skin (67.5%) and multisystem involvement was 15.7%

CONCLUSION

A detailed history is the key element of diagnosing cow’s milk allergy. There is a

considerable number of cases within first year of life which may present with different signs and symptoms. Although not a life threatening situation, correct diagnosis is vital as nutrition is a key component in development and growth of child.