Heated cow's milk and egg may help develop tolerance

Monday, 26 September 2011 10:44

A study in Poland has investigated the possibility of acquiring tolerance to heated cow's milk and egg in children with allergy to these foods. The study included 26 children with IgE-mediated food allergy, between the age of 2 and 6 years.

Over the course of 2 days, the children underwent provocation tests, first with heated forms of the allergens. Those who tested negative to the heated form were tested with the unheated forms of the food the following day.

Of children allergic to unheated cow's milk protein, 75% were able to tolerate heated cow's milk while 70% of children allergic to unheated egg white showed tolerance to processed egg white. Three children were able to tolerate both the heated and unheated forms of the allergens, with the authors suggesting tolerance was induced by exposure to the heated allergen first.

Reference: Krogulska et al. 2011. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology 09/07/2011