IgE-mediated cow milk allergy and infantile colic: diagnostic and management challenges

Cow milk allergy (CMA) is a common problem affecting 2-3% of children and is the most prevalent food allergy in infancy. Infantile colic is also a common problem in the first year of life. A frequent practice among physicians is to recommend a dairy-free diet to breast-feeding mothers and infants in cases of infantile colic. However, recent studies suggest that late introduction of potentially allergenic foods may increase the risk of developing a life-threatening food allergy. We describe two infants managed with dairy-free diet to control symptoms of colic in whom CMA developed. It is possible that unnecessary cow milk restriction may have contributed to the development of food allergy in these infants.