Milk Allergy Symptoms
What is milk allergy?
Milk allergy is nothing but a food allergy in which the adverse immune reaction occurs to a food protein. These proteins are mostly harmless and non-allergic.
People of any age group can show the milk allergy symptoms at any time of their lives. Some born with the milk symptoms that continues at any age. However, mostly it disappears as the child grows or reaches to age of five or six and sometimes child may be affected for longer time. This condition leads into adulthood and the person avoids all dairy products or milk products.
Amongst all milks, cow's milk is the common food allergy that gives allergic symptoms in child. About 2 to 7.5% of infants get affected with the cow's milk allergy (CMA). Milk contains the ingredients such as water, minerals and carbohydrates, fats and various other substances. When our body reacts to the proteins, the milk allergy starts occurring.
Exact meaning of milk allergy:
Milk allergy is noticeable in two ways that is rapid onset and delayed onset. The rapid onset is the allergy in which the symptoms appear within a couple of hours after taking the dairy products. While in delayed, it takes more time to show symptoms that gives problems to diagnose the disease. However, it is most common type of milk allergy.
Lactose intolerance is another factor that may also responsible for causing milk allergy, as that of milk protein. The reaction that happens without any involvement of immune system is known as cow's milk protein intolerance (CMP).
Milk allergy can occur within minutes after eating something containing milk proteins. It mainly affects the body parts given below:
- The respiratory tract: In this condition there are symptoms such as runny nose, watery eyes, itchy and sneezing causing to asthma.
- Skin: There may be skin problems such as red, bumpy rashes, redness, eczema and swelling around the mouth.
- Gastrointestinal tract: Here, the symptoms are such as belly cramps, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.
However, clinically there are three types of milk allergy, brief description is given below:
- Type 1: In this type of milk allergy, the symptoms start within minutes after the intake of small volume of food containing milk. It gives the skin problems, urticaria or eczema. There may also respiratory problems such as runny nose and wheezy chest, gastro or intestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
- Type 2: In this type the indication of symptoms starts after some time after the intake of modest volume food. Mostly, the symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea.
- Type 3: It takes more than 20 hours or even day to show the symptoms of allergy after intake of large volume of food. It gives symptoms such as diarrhea, skin and respiratory reactions.
How can it be diagnosed?
Blood and skin tests are the ways to diagnose the milk reaction that can be taken after immediate milk reactions. The tests detect the IgE, which is involved in the immediate type of reaction. More than 60% cases in children are of delayed or tolerant type that gives positive results with skin and blood tests. In this condition, the diagnosis can be made by the Elimination-Challenge Test. The test helps only if the milk gets removed from the diet.
In skin test, a small drop of milk is used to put on the skin of the suspected milk or the foods containing the milk on the forearm. There is a wheel and flare reaction that gives the results of reaction after 15 minutes showing that the patient is having allergy of that specific milk type.
