Different food allergies may come your newborn’s way as they grow older. However, one of the most common food allergies in their early stages of development would be the Milk Protein Allergy or also known as Cow’s Milk Allergy (CMA). When you continue this read, you will know more about the said allergy and information such as the symptoms, treatment, and its possible effect on your little one.
What is Milk Protein Allergy and its Symptoms?
The Milk Protein Allergy or Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) is a common food allergy in newborns or infants. This is an allergy where beans who are less than a year are highly affected. Having CMPA is basically having your little one be allergic to milk. Their immune system that normally fights the infections or other possible bacterias, have an abnormal reaction to the protein in cow’s milk which causes the allergic reaction or allergies the body produces. The body mistakenly thinks that the protein in cow’s milk are harmful substances leading to the said abnormal reactions (Hirsch, 2023).
In terms of it being a common allergy, milk protein allergy occurs in two to three (2%-3%) of little ones who are younger than 1 year old. However, as your bean grows older, the risk of getting the said allergy decreases to less than 1% of children ranging from six (6) years old and up (Mukkada, 2019). It must also be noted that any person, regardless of their age, can have milk allergy. It’s just really more common in young ones.
For the symptoms, there are actually a variety of them to notice the presence of cow’s milk allergy. There are just some mild ones, but it can also be more intense or severe (Stanek, 2023). Here is a list below on the different symptoms:
- Dry cough
- Vomiting
- Wheezing
- Digestive Problems
- Abdominal Pain
- Blood or mucus in the stool
- Skin reactions
- Difficulty breathing
Diving deeper into the most common ones, skin reactions cover having itchy rashes or swelling of the face, including lips or around the eyes. Another would be the digestive problems which revolve around stomach aches, diarrhea, and constipation. Other symptoms may also be linked to fever-like symptoms such as having a runny nose or a persistent coughing, and also sore throat. In the worst case, a severe allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, can also happen (NHS, 2022). Mamas and Papas watching over their little beans must always be aware of these symptoms to provide immediate care for them.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Milk Protein Allergy
It is highly advised that Mamas and Papas seek professional help from their general physicians when they observe the presence of the aforementioned symptoms in their little beans. The said milk allergy is usually found in children – may they be infants or newborns – since cow’s milk protein allergy is prevalent in their age range.
Doctors will then be conducting a series of tests to arrive at a diagnosis. Your little one’s stool will be tested, also other relevant tests to rule out other possible diseases based on the symptoms. In other cases, when the pediatrician did not arrive at a firm diagnosis after the tests, they may do an oral food challenge where cow’s milk will be given to the child and will then be closely monitored by the medical professionals (Stanek, 2023).
When it comes to the treatment for CMPA, it is actually simply removing cow’s milk protein from the diet of your little one. This is actually called an “elimination diet” where formulas are derived from broken-down proteins that can be easily digested compared to other kinds of milk and does not trigger an immune reaction. This is more on the long term treatment for the milk protein allergy. However, if the CMPA brought an intense reaction such as anaphylaxis, there is a medicine called epinephrine to lessen the severity of the allergy. Usually, those who experience such are taken to the emergency room for close monitoring in case there will be another round of symptoms if the injected medicine wears off (Mukkada, 2019).
Milk Protein Allergy vs Lactose Intolerance
Since they are both associated with milk or dairy, some people commonly think that Milk Protein Allergy is the same as Lactose Intolerance. However, the latter is way different from CMPA.
Unlike the milk protein allergy, lactose intolerance does not involve the immune system. For instance, cow’s milk is made up of proteins, milk sugar (lactose), and fat. Lactose intolerance is having the inability to digest the lactose sugar in the cow’s milk, while milk protein allergy is reacting to the protein in the cow’s milk. Moreover, when it comes to affecting your little ones, as mentioned earlier, CMPA affects those younger than 1 year, but in lactose intolerance, it is a rare condition to find in children younger than 5 years old (Mukkada, 2019).
Feeding Options for Beans With Milk Protein Allergy
If your little one shows signs of milk protein allergy, here is what Mamas can do. There will be two scenarios: 1) If you are breastfeeding or nursing your little one, or 2) If you do formula feeding.
For the first one, beans that have cow’s milk protein allergy can still continue to breastfeed from their Mamas. The diet of Mamas should be taken into consideration, where all dairy should be excluded from her diet. Though this can be not strictly complied with, it may be just optional depending on the diagnosis of your little one. Experts and health professionals will state the mother’s diet. However, Mamas should still communicate with their dietician or their physician these diet plans to ensure that they still get the right nutrients in the absence of dairy (Stanek, 2023).
Meanwhile, when you do formula feeding and your newborn or infant has milk protein allergy, Mamas should check on the specialized infant formulas for those with the said allergy. One of the recommended ones is shifting to an extensively hydrolyzed formula, which consists of proteins and can be easily digestible to lessen the triggering of an allergic reaction or an immune reaction (Hirsch, 2023). Mamas and Papas should also take note that there’s a small percentage of the children who have milk protein allergy that still get reactions to extensively hydrolyzed formulas (Stanek, 2023). Having said that, to switch to specialized infant formulas, Mamas should not create their own formulas since that is a very risky thing to do. Trust your pediatrician and do not be afraid to seek professional medical advice.
Moving Forward for Mamas and Papas
Milk protein allergy or cow’s milk protein allergy may just suddenly be present in your little one’s body. However, from a research made by GI Kids, it was discovered that 90% of children outgrow their allergy to milk protein before reaching the age of 6 (Stanek, 2023). While this is possible, it is still recommended to be ready for possible remedies in the case of having symptoms experienced by your child.
Moving forward, Mamas and Papas should be extra aware of the said allergy and read more about it. Staying mindful may help in knowing what is the next best thing to do once your little one experiences some of the symptoms. Overall, we believe that it is best to seek professional help to properly give the right diagnosis and begin treatment. Take care of yourselves and your little beans, Mamas and Papas!
References
Stanek, B. (2023). What is a milk protein allergy? Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/family/what-is-a-milk-protein-allergy/
What should I do if I think my baby is allergic or intolerant to cows’ milk? (2022). NHS UK. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/what-should-i-do-if-i-think-my-baby-is-allergic-or-intolerant-to-cows-milk/
Hirsch, L (2023). Milk allergy in infants. Nemours KidsHealth. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/milk-allergy.html
Mukkada, V. (2019). Cow’s milk protein allergy. GI Kids. https://gikids.org/digestive-topics/cows-milk-protein-allergy/
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