A milk allergy is the body's immune response to a protein that is present in this nutrient fluid. In most cases, goat's and cow's milk provokes its appearance. After all, they contain at least 80% casein (milk protein).
Today, about 5% of children have intolerance to the main component of milk. Moreover, an allergy occurs immediately after the use of this nutrient fluid or after 1-2 days. In an infant, a reaction to protein occurs within a few hours after ingestion, in an adult, the symptoms of such an ailment are less pronounced.
Factors causing an allergic reaction
Protein intolerance often results from a lack of ability to break down lactose into galactose and glucose. Undigested milk sugar causes bloating, fermentation in the intestines, and pain in the abdomen. Therefore, intolerance may not be due to milk protein, but to lactose.
Higher sensitivity to nutrient fluid protein is due to casein orother components. There are at least twenty such ingredients in milk (alpha-lactoglobulin, beta-lactoglobulin, lipoproteins, and others).
Intolerance to dairy protein can occur for various reasons. The main ones are considered to be:
- regulatory dysfunction;
- genetic predisposition to an allergic reaction (hypersensitivity may be in close relatives);
- hormonal disruptions;
- chronic infectious pathologies;
- stress, strong feelings and nervous exhaustion.
When milk enters the body of a person suffering from intolerance to its main components, a protective reaction of the immune system is activated. Antibodies present in the blood attach to the antigen. At the same time, the formed immune complexes begin to emit substances that provoke the development of inflammatory processes in various tissues. As a result, signs of allergy appear.
Symptoms of milk protein intolerance in adults
It should be noted that casein is present in the milk of many animals. But most of this protein is in cow's drink. That is why an allergic reaction in hypersensitive people can occur to the nutrient fluid of any artiodactyls. It goes without saying that with intolerance to milk, an allergy will also occur to products made from it - butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream and others. If there is hypersensitivity to a protein such asalpha-lactalbumin, there may be a cross-reaction with beef.
Cow's milk protein intolerance, the symptoms of which are pronounced, manifests itself as follows:
- A rash, redness of the skin, itching and swelling appear on different parts of the body.
- Quite often with an allergic reaction, constipation, bloating, cramps, flatulence, pain, symptoms of gastritis are disturbing.
- There is swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, nose, and in extremely severe cases - the lungs, a runny nose may occur, mucus secretion increases, sneezing, and shortness of breath appear.
Similar symptoms of protein intolerance in adults occur with all types of food allergies, so we must first identify the connection with the consumption of dairy products. It is not so difficult to do this, after eating cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream, you just need to observe your well-being. It must be remembered that protein intolerance in severe cases can lead to suffocation, swelling of the larynx, pressure drops, in other words, cause anaphylactic shock. This condition requires immediate medical attention.
Cow's milk protein intolerance in infants: symptoms
In young children, the reaction of the immune system to dairy products proceeds differently. It can be fast, in other words, appear a few minutes after the allergen enters the baby's body, and slow - develop within 1-2 days. At the same time, varioussystems and organs.
Milk protein allergy can cause babies:
- flatulence;
- mucous and frothy diarrhea;
- loss of appetite;
- colic;
- burping and even vomiting.
In infants under one year of age, intestinal disorders are more severe than in adults and older babies. Such violations can last about 3 days until the allergen stops penetrating the body.
Protein intolerance can lead to adverse reactions from the respiratory system: sneezing, dry allergic cough, nasal congestion. These symptoms are often mistaken for bronchitis, adenoids, tracheitis and other pathologies.
The most dangerous manifestation of an allergy is anaphylaxis, which develops almost instantly after drinking a cow's drink. In this condition, the face of the baby swells, the skin turns pale and a spasm of the larynx occurs. Other similar symptoms may be accompanied by urinary incontinence and convulsions. In this situation, urgent emergency assistance is needed.
Sometimes, with an allergic reaction to milk protein, atypical symptoms appear, such as nosebleeds, vegetative dystonia, joint destruction, disruption of the urinary organs, anemia.
Intolerance to cow's milk protein in infants, the symptoms and treatment of which are aimed at eliminating unpleasant signs, most often manifests itself on the skin in the form of reddening of the cheeks and a rash. If the baby is worried about severe itching, then he begins to comb the skin, which can lead to allergies.join bacterial infection.
Cow's milk protein intolerance: diagnosis
If you suspect an allergy, you should first find out what exactly is causing the negative reaction. To do this, you need to introduce dairy products into the diet and monitor the state of the body after eating them. In the event that after taking them, the child has loose stools with white lumps, his intestines cannot process and assimilate the protein present in this nutrient fluid.
Protein intolerance, the symptoms of which occur after exposure to an allergen, can lead to delayed development in the baby and slow growth. If the baby often spits up, he has pain, bloating and gas formation, then we are most likely talking about an allergic reaction to milk protein. As a result, the absorption of nutrients is disturbed in the child, which slows down the development of his body.
Therapeutic Methods
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely recover from an allergy to milk protein. With hypersensitivity, a person will have to remove from the diet all the food in which it is present. After the appearance of signs of a food allergy, you should contact an allergist. The doctor will send you for the necessary examinations, after which he will prescribe an effective therapy. Protein intolerance should not be self-treated as it can lead to complications. After all, some people confuse such an allergic reaction with dermatitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or throat, and hives.
Allergy medicines
Cow's milk protein intolerance, whose symptoms are not always pronounced in adults, is often treated with drugs. With high sensitivity to dairy products, measures should be taken to relieve symptoms and improve well-being. Sorbents and antihistamine drugs will help eliminate itching and other manifestations of allergies: Tavegil, Dimedrol, activated charcoal and Suprastin.
Corticosteroids are used to eliminate an attack of anaphylactic shock. At the same time, it is necessary to abandon all products with milk protein, so as not to aggravate the situation. In addition, you should additionally avoid stress, increase immunity, monitor digestion and remove symptomatic disorders in time.
To get rid of skin rashes, various ointments are used. The most popular of them are Elokom, Bepanten, Hydrocortisone, Skin-Cap and Fenistil.
Nutrition for milk protein intolerance
To prevent an allergy to a cow drink, a special diet must be followed. Cheese, milk, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream should be completely removed from the diet. Moreover, it is worth giving up products containing milk protein:
- baking;
- sauces;
- sausages;
- chocolate and ice cream.
Instead of a nutritious cow drink, you can use soy, and vegetables, fruits and vitamin complexes will help replenish calcium deficiency.
Treatment with folk remedies
To eliminate intolerance to milk protein in alternative medicine, a string is used to relieve swelling and itching. Also used for hypersensitivity dill seed. It helps to relieve unpleasant symptoms of the digestive tract: frequent regurgitation, colic and diarrhea.
But before using folk remedies, especially along with medications, you should consult a doctor.
