Milk Allergy and Risks associated With It

I have heard about different food allergies, I am allergic to some myself too, but I never knew that milk allergy was really so much of a big deal until recently when I meet a new friend who said she doesn't take milk. I thought everyone loved milk so believe me when I said I was really shocked when she said she was allergic to milk.

Allergy to milk is a reaction of the immune system to milk, not only milk but even other milk products. Milk allergy is common in children, it is in fact one of the most common allergies that children have but it happens to adults also. Cow milk is often the main reason behind milk allergy, although milk from goats, buffalo, sheep, and other mammals can also cause allergy too.

Milk reaction could either be mild or severe. Basically avoiding milk and products of milk is the first and most common treatment for milk allergy, but if milk allergy occurs in children, it could actually be outgrown.

Milk allergy in babies.

Before moving on to discuss allergies in adults, let's start with milk allergy in babies. Milk allergy in children from cow's commonly known as ''cows milk protein allergy'', this allergy affects about 7% of babies below 1 year, although most children outgrow this allergy before they get to 5 years old. This allergy begins upon the first introduction of cow milk to a baby's diet, the cow milk could be found in baby formula or passed through breast milk from mother to child.

Cow milk allergy could either be an immediate or delayed reaction. In the case of an immediate reaction, symptoms of an allergy begin within a few minutes after the intake of cow milk. Delayed reaction on the other hand could begin after hours or sometimes even days after consumption of cow milk.

There are basically, two types of protein found in cow milk that could trigger an allergic reaction.
Casein is found in the solid region of milk that curdles.
Whey is found in the liquid part of milk, which remains after milk curdles.

The parent or child may be allergic to only one milk protein or even both. It may be a difficult situation to avoid because asides from milk, there is other processed food that contains these proteins.

Another question that is worth answering is this, how do you know when you are reacting to cow milk? The symptoms of cow milk allergy are;
Milk allergy could result in some types of digestive issues like vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and even stomach ache.
Red itchy rash forming around the skin, swelling of the lips, face, and eyes.
A runny or a blocked nose.
Eczema that doesn't get better even after treatment.

The allergy can get really serious and come with sudden swelling around the throat and the mouth, cough, shortness of breath, noisy breathing, and difficulty with breathing.

Treatment for cow milk allergy is possible, in most cases the breastfeeding mother is advised to stay clear of any cow milk product and also remove any cow-milk product from the child's food.

Even after treatment, the child would still have to be assessed every 1 month in order to find out if the child has completely overgrown the allergy.

I established earlier that certain symptoms occur immediately, while others would take time before it begins to manifest.
Immediate symptoms of milk allergy are; Vomiting, shortness of breath, wheezing, itching around the mouth or lips, wheezing, and even hives.

Some of the symptoms that may take time to develop are; abdominal cramps, development of watery eyes, runny nose, diarrhea, or loose stools which may even contain blood.

We need to understand that, milk allergy is different from, milk protein intolerance and even lactose intolerance. The treatment for milk allergy is different from milk intolerance.

Milk allergy could cause Anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening issue resulting from milk allergy, this condition is a reaction that narrows the airways and blocks breathing. Milk is not the only condition that causes this reaction, peanuts and tree nuts also cause anaphylaxis.

Every type of food poison occurs as a result of the malfunction of the immune system, milk allergy means that your immune system identifies the protein present in certain milk as being harmful, therefore the production of immunoglobulin E antibodies is triggered in order to neutralize the protein.

An increase in the level of milk allergy could be triggered by other factors, such as;

• Age factor: Milk allergy is more common amongst children, with an increase in age, there is an increased level of maturity in digestive systems.

• Atopic dermatitis: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammation of the skin, children who have atopic dermatitis are more poise and at risk of having a food poisoning attack.

• Family history: The risk of food allergy in children increases if either of the parents has a food allergy condition.

• Having other allergies would make the possibility of milk allergy even more intense.

There are possible complications that could result from milk allergy;
There are lots of other food products that contain milk asides from milk itself, trying to avoid everything related to milk will increase anxiety and level of stress when there is a choice to make about food.

Children with milk allergy usually experienced slow growth as a result of the absence of minerals and vitamins which occurs as a result of dietary restrictions.
The obvious sources of milk proteins that could cause allergy are; Cheese and other products of cheese, Ice cream, Yogurt, Butter, Half-and-half, and Whole milk.
The presence of milk could be in other products that are difficult to identify, some of those products are; Hydrolysates, Casein, Processed meats, Artificial butter flavor, Artificial cheese flavor, Protein powder, and Candies.

Since children have a higher chance of getting allergic to milk, we should look out for ways to prevent possible allergies in children to have them protected then.
Breastfeeding is a good source of nutrients for babies. Medical experts usually recommend that nursing mothers breastfeed their babies for as long as possible, especially if that child has shown a possible trait of being allergic to milk.

Soy protein is also a good replacement for milk, in rare cases, however, some children who are allergic to milk also get allergic to soy.

Since we already established, that there is a difference between milk allergy and lactose intolerance, it is important for us to understand the difference between them.

Lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance mainly has to do with the digestive system. Those with lactose intolerance, do not produce lactase, lactase is extremely important to the body since it is needed to digest lactose.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance are quite similar to milk allergy, but with lactose intolerance, there is so much attention on the digestive system. Gas, Diarrhea, Nausea, Bloating, Abdominal cramps.

https://college.acaai.org/

https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/milk-dairy/

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/milk-allergy.html

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/lactose-intolerance-or-dairy-allergy

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/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/milk-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20375101

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