Various symtoms in a baby, as vomiting , diarrhoea , skin rash , eczema or urticaria, conjunctivitis, wheezing or oedema , may hide a food allergy: a food allergic reaction occurs when certain proteins in the food we eat inappropriately react with some component of the immune system, triggering an allergic reaction.

Some food allergies, that show up immediately after the ingestion of the allergic food (within few hours), depends on a “wrong” reaction of a specific class of antibodies, the IgE antibodies: in allergic individuals (who are sometimes referred to as being “atopic”) eating certain food proteins (such as whey and casein protein contained in cow’s milk) results in the production of IgE directed against the protein. The second time individual eats the food; these molecules interact with each other, and with the food protein, causing the release of harmful chemicals and the symptoms of food allergy.

Other food allergies may show later: it’s the delayed-type food allergic reactions, appearing after 24-48 hours from the food ingestion and depending on other specific immune cells, the “T-cell”. When the food is ingested, the food protein is recognized as harmful by these cells, that run into the area of the body about to suffer damage (as the skin or the bowel), release chemicals and, through a chain of events, lead to damages associated with symptoms of food allergy.

The most common food allergy in infants is Cow Milk Allergy, a reaction to cow milk that results from a hypersensitive immune response to one or more milk proteins. Most babies with cow milk allergy develop symptoms within the first few months of life. It’s rare for symptoms to begin after the age of 12 months. Symptoms of cow milk allergy are various, ranging from eczema and rash, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation to breathing symptoms, as wheezing.

The recommended treatment for Cow Milk Allergy is to completely skip milk proteins from the baby’s diet. Because milk is an important food for infants, cutting it out from a baby’s diet may put them at risk of poor growth. This risk can be overcome with an alternative hypoallergenic formula, such as amino-acid based formulas (usually referred as AAF) or extensively hydrolyzed formulas (eHF), which can provide rapid relief of symptoms and enables optimal growth and development.

Source: Act Against Allergy - For the treatment of Cow Milk Allergy is a global educational initiative with information and tools to know and increase the awareness of childhood cow milk allergy and other infant food allergies and to support parents and healthcare professionals. Act Against Allergy complies with the HONcode standard for health trust worthy information.