In plain words
Cow's milk protein allergy is an immune reaction to proteins found in cow's milk, including in formula made from cow's milk. It can show up in a baby as skin rashes, vomiting, reflux-like symptoms, bloody or mucousy stools, or poor weight gain. It is different from lactose intolerance, which is about sugar in milk rather than the immune system. The diagnosis is made by a clinician who looks at symptoms and the baby's growth, and sometimes by a trial of a specific feeding plan under supervision. Some babies with fussiness or are found to have it, but many do not. Changes in feeding for a suspected allergy are usually made under a pediatrician's supervision.
The deeper version
Cow's milk protein allergy is an IgE-mediated or non-IgE-mediated adverse reaction to milk proteins, with non-IgE forms predominating in infancy and presenting with gastrointestinal and skin symptoms. Prevalence in infancy is commonly estimated at a few percent in high-income cohorts, with most cases resolving by school age. The AAP and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition guidance describe diagnosis through history, examination, and supervised elimination and reintroduction when indicated, with as the usual alternative in formula-fed infants. Associations with colic have been proposed, and some infants with colic respond to elimination, though evidence in unselected colic cohorts is mixed. Clinicians distinguish allergy from transient intolerance and from other conditions such as .
Where it comes up
- Crying, colic, and the witching hourBaby Basics
- Fussy weeks and developmental changesBaby Basics
- Soothing a newbornBaby Basics
What mothers here say about cow's milk protein allergy
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition — Guidelines on cow's milk protein allergy in infants, 2012 and updates
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Clinical report on food allergy in infants and children, current edition