How mothers perceive infants with unspecific gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of cow's milk allergy?

Parental stress and food allergy phenotypes in young children: A National Birth Cohort (JECS)

BACKGROUND

Food allergy children and their families tend to have emotional distress and anxiety. There have been few reports of differences in parenting stress and a child's food allergy phenotypes.

METHODS

We examined the associations between food allergy phenotypes in children and parenting stress assessed by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) from a national birth cohort (Japan Environment and Children's Study).

RESULTS

We included 65,805 children for statistical analysis. Of them, 7.2% of children had a food allergy diagnosis at 2 years old. The means of the total PSI-SF (39.9 ± 10.3, 39.1 ± 9.9), CD-SF (19.5 ± 5.4, 19.1 ± 5.2), and PD-SF (20.5 ± 6.3, 20.0 ± 6.1) scores are similar for caregivers in the with and without food allergy groups. Food allergy diagnosis resulted in significantly higher total PSI scores (coefficient .47, 95% CI 0.19-0.75, p = .001), CD-SF (coefficient .22, 95% CI 0.07-0.38, p = .004), and PD-SF (coefficient .24, 95% CI 0.08-0.41, p = .004). A similar trend was observed for allergy reactions to hen's egg. However, there was no clear relationship between allergic reactions to milk, wheat, nuts, and PSI-SF.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental stress was significantly related to a child's food allergy. Furthermore, hen's egg allergy increased parental stress. Multiple food avoidance might also increase parental stress. Healthcare providers need to be aware of parental stress in our daily clinic.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Food Challenge-proven Non-IgE Cow's Milk Allergy Are Dissipated by Early School Age

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the current well-being and dietary restrictions in children 6 years after food challenge-confirmed diagnosis of non-IgE cow's milk protein allergy, compared to peers with gastrointestinal symptoms but negative food challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic process retrospectively.

METHODS

This is an Internet-based survey for mothers whose children underwent 6 years ago the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge for cow's milk (CM) because of gastrointestinal symptoms causing suspicion of non-IgE CM protein allergy. Concurrent dietary restrictions, overall well-being, medical history, and retrospective views on the food challenge were queried using a study-specific questionnaire, the Quality of life using PedsQL general score and parental stress with the Parenting Stress Index questionnaire.

RESULT

Mothers of 42 children (23 girls), median age of 6.7 years (range 5.7-8.6), participated in the survey, the response rate was 70%. All children now consumed cow's milk protein. The only food restrictions reported were empirical lactose-free diets in 7 children (17%). One-third of the children in both groups were presently reported to have eating-related issues such as picky eating. Quality of life was good and present parenting stress was average in both groups. The majority of the mothers (87%) felt positive or neutral about the food challenge performed in infancy.

CONCLUSIONS

The non-IgE CM allergy with gastrointestinal symptoms diagnosed in infancy was a transient condition with good outcome. At an early school age, nearly all children have a good quality of life and a regular diet. The use of the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge was well-endorsed.

Debates in allergy medicine: food intolerance does exist

Background

Health care professionals and patients mix and mingle (hyper)sensitivity, allergy and intolerance. The consequences are discrepancies which result in confusion. The following is a very personal point of view, intended to start a debate to come to consensus.

Objectives

We aimed to clarify the proposed terminology for the primary health care professional from the point of view of the pediatric gastroenterologist.

Results

Many patients present with symptoms “related to food ingestion”. We propose to use this wording if no underlying mechanism can be identified. Intolerance should be restricted to carbohydrate malabsorption causing symptoms. Allergy is restricted to IgE mediated allergy and non-IgE manifestations that can only be explained through an immune mediated mechanism, such as food induced atopic dermatitis and allergic colitis with blood in the stools. Unfortunately, primary heath care physicians have no diagnostic tools for non-IgE mediated allergy. A positive challenge test is a proof of a food-induced symptom, but does not proof that the immune system is involved. (Hyper)sensitivity suggests immune mediated mechanisms and should therefore not be used. The pathophysiologic mechanism of many food-related symptoms is unclear. The same symptom can be caused by allergy or be considered functional, such as infantile colic, gastro-esophageal reflux and constipation related to cow’s milk ingestion in infants. In fact, “functional” is used if the pathophysiologic mechanism causing the symptom cannot be explained. Since the long term outcome of “allergy” differs substantially from “functional symptom”, allergy should not be used inappropriate.

Conclusion

“Food related symptom” should be used in each patient in which the pathophysiologic mechanism is not clear. Intolerance means a carbohydrate malabsorption that causes symptoms. Allergy should be used when the immune system is involved.

A workshop report on the development of the Cow's Milk-related Symptom Score awareness tool for young children

Clinicians with expertise in managing children with gastrointestinal problems and/or atopic diseases attended a workshop in Brussels in September 2014 to review the literature and determine whether a clinical score derived from symptoms associated with the ingestion of cow's milk proteins could help primary healthcare providers. The Cow's Milk-related Symptom Score (CoMiSS), which considers general manifestations, dermatological, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, was developed as an awareness tool for cow's milk-related symptoms. It can also be used to evaluate and quantify the evolution of symptoms during therapeutic interventions, but does not diagnose cow's milk protein allergy and does not replace a food challenge. Its usefulness needs to be evaluated by a prospective randomised study.

CONCLUSION

The CoMiSS provides primary healthcare clinicians with a simple, fast and easy-to-use awareness tool for cow's milk-related symptoms.