Cow's milk allergy in Thai children

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Allergy and Immunology
• Clinical Nutrition

Background:

• Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is a significant health concern in pediatric populations.
• Understanding the prevalence and clinical spectrum of CMA is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.
• Previous studies highlight varied presentations, necessitating comprehensive diagnostic criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnostic patterns, and treatment outcomes of cow's milk allergy in Thai children.
• To identify the most common symptoms and risk factors associated with CMA in the studied cohort.
• To evaluate the efficacy of different dietary management strategies for CMA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of medical records for children diagnosed with CMA between 1998 and 2007.
• Inclusion criteria: symptom improvement after cow's milk elimination and symptom recurrence upon reintroduction.
• Data collection included patient demographics, clinical manifestations, family history, diagnostic tests, and treatment responses.

Main Results:

• 382 children diagnosed with CMA; average age at diagnosis 14.8 months; average symptom duration 9.2 months.
• Most common symptoms: respiratory (43.2%), gastrointestinal (22.5%), and skin (20.1%).
• Successful treatments included elimination diets with soy formula (42.5%), partial hydrolysate formula (35.7%), and extensive hydrolysate formula (14.2%).

Conclusions:

• CMA presents with diverse clinical manifestations in Thai children, with respiratory symptoms frequently overlooked.
• Early diagnosis and appropriate dietary management, including specialized formulas and breastfeeding with maternal restriction, are key to successful treatment.
• Further research into the specific triggers and long-term outcomes of CMA in this population is warranted.