The diet of patients with food allergies, especially Cow's Milk Allergy (CSA), is continued for up to a year after diagnosis. During the diet, the patient's allergic symptoms are monitored by both the parent and the doctor. In this follow-up, it should be monitored whether the allergy symptoms improve or not, and whether the symptoms return after exposure to milk.
If the patient's symptoms of the allergic disease do not regress or recur during the period of diet, then several possibilities should be considered:
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- The patient may have another allergy rather than cow's milk allergy.
- The patient may have other food allergies in addition to cow's milk allergy. (Multiple food allergies)
- You may not be paying attention to your diet.
At the end of a year, a dairy food is tried under the supervision of a doctor, if necessary, in the clinic or sometimes even in the hospital. This is called the oral provocation test. If the patient experiences symptoms of milk allergy again, the diet is continued for another 3 - 6 or 12 months, depending on the situation. At the end of this period, dairy foods are tried again in accordance with the procedure.
The frequency of food allergies, which are seen at a high rate in the first age, gradually decreases later on. In a study, children with ISA were monitored for 3 years, and sensitivity was lost in 50% at the end of 1 year, in 70% at the end of 2 years, and in 85% at the end of 3 years. Improvement can be mentioned, especially if the high cow's milk specific IgE level decreases over time and there is no reaction in the provocation test.
The situation is slightly different in non-IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy. While non-IgE-mediated ICA disappears to a large extent, eosinophilic gastroenteritis and proctocolitis continue in adulthood.
Follow-up becomes difficult in cases where cow's milk allergy does not regress. Because:
- As the child grows, it becomes difficult to restrict nutrition according to changing energy needs.
- As the child grows and his taste develops, it may become difficult to restrict the things he should not eat.
- Cow. For children with milk allergy, it becomes increasingly difficult to choose dairy-free products, especially when buying packaged foods from shops, because milk content may not be written on every food package; It is even necessary to write down the milk content. There are some foods that are not suitable for you, which you may have unintentionally fed to your child.
If ISA lasts for more than a year, you do not have to struggle alone to cope with it, you can also get help from your pediatrician and dietician, if you have one. Since it may not always be possible to reach a dietitian in our country, especially in Anatolian conditions, age-appropriate nutrition lists have been prepared for you by our dietitian Emel Unutmaz. No matter how long ISA lasts, it is possible for you to access the appropriate nutrients to replace the calcium and protein in milk.
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