C. A. Rezzónico JR¹, C. A. Rezzónico^1
1Pediatrics, Clínica del Niño, Córdoba, Argentina
Introduction: In the first two years of life from 2,5% to 7% of children will have an adverse reaction to food. [1] The dietary proteins most commonly implicated in infancy are cow´s milk and soy proteins. The majority of infants will respond to elimination of cow´s milk proteins and feeding with formula derived from hydrolized either casein or whey protein.[2]

Methods: Eleven patients were enrolled in the study. There were 4 boys and 7 girls with ages ranging from 1 to 24 months at the beginning of treatment. They presented colics (n=6), vomiting (n=2), reflux (n=7), diarrhea (n=7), atopic dermatitis (n=7), failure to thrive (n=1), and refuse to formla (n=3). In the 11 patients symptoms developed when they were receiving modified formula and persisted during the ingestion of hydrolized extensivily casein formula, extensivily hydrolized whey formula or soy formula. The symptoms remited whithin few days of the commencement of mare´s milk. Diagnosis was based in the ESPGAN criteria for food allergy.[3] Because the age of the patients double-blind challenge was not perfomed.
Results: The period of time of treatment varied from 3 to 27 months. All infants with cow´s milk allergy, and intolerance to extensivily hydrolized casein formula, hydrolized whey formula or soy formula, responded to treatment to mare´s milk with disappereance of the symptoms and increase in body weight. As it is well known, breast feeding is the safest method of realimentation [4] but it is not often available. In our experience the use of mare´s milk can offer an important alternative for the treatment of infants with multiple food allergy. Mare´s milk has the advantage of being similar in composition to human milk. The content of lactose makes it pleasant to drink. The protein content is low, so we have no risk to increase the renal load of solutes. The fat content is low but we can add MTC or corn oil to give to the infants an appropiated quantity of fat.
Conclusion: we conclude that mare´s milk is an useful alternative treating for children with multiple food allergy who did not repond to treatments with hydrolized protein foumula and/or soy formula. The low cost of mare´s milk is a considerable advantage.

Reference(S): [1] Bock SA, Atkins FM. Patterns of food hypersensitivity during sixteen years of double –blind, placebo controlled food challenges. J Pediatr 1990,117:561-7
[2] Kleinman RE, Banha S, Powell GF, Sampson HA. Use of Infants formulas in infants with cow milk allergy : a review of recomendations. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 1991;2:146-55
[3] The Working Group European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Diagnostic Criteria for food allergy with predominantly intestinal symtoms. J Pediatr Gastroenterolog Nutr. 1992;14:108-112.
[4] Savilahti E. Cow´s milk allergy. Allergy 1981;36:73-88

Financial Disclosure (put None if not applicable): none