Can Allergy to Cows Milk Protein in Infants Have Neurological Manifestations?

Overview

In a retrospective questionnaire study 76 general practitioners for children and adolescenta from Prague answered a question on the incidence of allergy to Cows milk in their patients (3023 infants, i.e. 1/3 of infants in Prague in 2000). An incidence of 0.66% was recorded. The manifestations of allergy were gastrointestinal, dermatological or systemic (not thriving). In 75% in the family-history allergic disease was present. On diagnosis the re-exposure test was not used which is considered in the literature as the diagnostic standard. The revealed incidence is substantially lower than reported in studies in Europe and America (more than 2%). The author discusses the fact that no manifestations were recorded classified in the literature as neurological (irritability/distress, impaired sleep, convulsions). When calculating with the use of data in the literature where some 40% of these manifestations are reported in infants with so-called infantile colics (it is assumed that 10 % are caused by allergy to Cows milk protein), we reakh the same figures of incidence as reported in the literature abroad. Therefore we reached the conclusion that some of the manifestations of allergy to Cows milk protein in infant age, in particular neurological manifestations, escape diagnosis and thus also therapy.

Key words:
allergy to Cows milk protein, incidence of allergy to Cows milk protein, re-exposure test