[Antibodies against milk and soy proteins in specific intolerances and celiac disease]

It has been suggested that high serum level of food proteins antibodies (especially cow's milk protein antibodies) may have a specific meaning in the diagnosis of food allergy, especially presenting with gastrointestinal complaints. In our study we tested with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay test (ELISA) the antibody serum level to cow's milk and soy proteins in 123 children. The following patients were included in the study: 30 children with cow's milk enteropathy (CME), 27 children with soy proteins intolerance (SI), 19 coeliac children on gluten containing diet (CD), 9 coeliac children on gluten free diet (GFD) and 50 healthy sex and age matched control children. All coeliac patients had assumed cow's milk and soy proteins at the moment of the test or a few days before. Higher antibody serum level was found in coeliac disease to both cow's milk and soy proteins and in cases with cow's and soy allergy, than in control cases. The highest mean value of cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies have been found in the untreated coeliac children (CD), also higher than in the two groups of specific allergy. In treated coeliac children (GFD) with normalized jejunal mucosa cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies was normal. None of the 19 CD with high cow's milk and soy proteins antibodies level showed clinical intolerance to cow's milk and soy proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)