Dear Readers,
D.V., a 24-year-old woman from Harbour View, Kingston 17, is very worried about her three-month-old baby girl. Her pregnancy was uncomplicated and her baby was born a healthy child but soon developed a recurring diarrhoea which just wouldn't settle down. The baby also "puked" up her feeds at times. D.V. took the baby to see a doctor. She has been told to stop giving the baby the regular cow's milk tinned feeds as her baby has "milk allergy". D.V. asks "Lifeline" if her baby will always be allergic to milk or can this condition be cured.
Cow's Milk Allergy occurs due to the child or adult becoming sensitised to one or more of the proteins in cow's milk. This is different from "milk intolerance", where the problem is not allergy but either lactose deficiency or fat intolerance.
Milk allergy can occur at any age but is mainly a childhood disorder occurring most commonly in the first few months of life. Usually, some other close relatives will also suffer from allergies or even milk allergy also.
There are over 30 proteins in cow's milk and each can potentially cause allergies. Some of these allergenic compounds are destroyed by heat, so raw, cold milk is more allergenic than boiled milk. Other substances which might be present in milk such as antibiotics can also cause temporary allergic reactions. This is not really milk allergy but a reaction to the foreign component which will settle once the foreign substance is eliminated.
Symptoms of milk allergy can occur from as early as three days after birth to as late as after many years of drinking milk. The gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, skin and respiratory system are the systems most commonly affected by milk allergy.
Diarrhoea is the most common symptom of milk allergy followed by vomiting. These condition can occur at intervals or can be chronic. When a baby has intractable diarrhoea, it will fail to thrive and often also have other illnesses such as chronic eczema, recurring colds or asthma. The diarrhoea or vomiting will stop when the individual is taken off cow's milk but will recur if it is reintroduced.
Some babies with milk allergies do not have the vomiting and diarrhoea but instead they experience severe infant colic. The colic, diarrhoea or vomiting improves markedly when soya milk is used for feed. There are several soya milk preparations on the market. Milk allergy can also be seen in babies who are exclusively breast fed. This is because small amounts of cow's milk proteins ingested in the mother's diet are present in the mother's milk. This usually causes a terrible infant colic which resolves when the mother stops using all cow's milk and dairy products.
Milk allergy may cause a chronic cold called Rhinitis, which is associated with a watery nasal discharge, stuffy nose, coughing, asthma and ear infections.
Atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema and urticaria, which causes a rash and severe itching of the skin, also occur in both adults and infants due to milk allergy and tends to clear or improve markedly on a milk free diet.
Restlessness, irritability and hyperactivity occur in children due to milk allergy while milk allergy is a cause of migraine headaches in some adults.
Any parent who is worried that their child might have this condition should have their child see a doctor for confirmation. The parent could also exchange milk and dairy products for soya-based products and see if any improvement in symptoms occurs.
Do you have a health question? Write to:
Lifeline
c/o THE STAR,
7 North Street
Kingston.
By Dr. A.J. MORGAN, Contributor
