Symptoms of Milk Allergies

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Dr. David Hill, and today we're going to be talking about symptoms of milk allergies. The first thing to know is that what you are allergic to in milk is usually the protein component. And there are two proteins in milk, casein and whey. Nobody is allergic to human breast milk, because human breast milk is composed of human casein and human whey. But, allergies to milk from other animals are quite prevalent, effecting up to three to five percent of infants sometime during the first twelve months of life. The most common whey that we see in milk protein allergy is presenting in a formula fed infant. There may be vomiting, often diarrhea, and usually if we test the stool for blood, even though you may not see it when you look at the stool it will be present on the stool blood test. Often if we change the formula to one that is based on soy or on a broken down or hydrolyzed form of milk protein like alimentum or nutramigen, the allergic symptoms will go away. Later in life you may still see milk protein allergy contributing to eczema, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal pain. However, the good news is that many children out grow their milk protein allergy by the second year of life. Usually we say stay off of milk protein for six months after an allergic reaction, and then try a small quantity to see how you do. The best news is that milk protein allergy rarely causes a life threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. So most children who have had milk protein allergy, eventually will be able to safely try and then drink milk. It' s a big part of the American diet, and so it's a nice thing to be able to have. Talking about the symptoms of milk protein allergy, I'm Dr. David Hill."