THE TREATMENT OF COWS MILK ALLERGY

Current approach to the treatment of food allergy is directed towards elimination diets. The treatment of choice of cow's milk allergy is co mplete avoidance of cow's milk antigens, In infants it is necessary to use substitute formulas. The completeness of the elimination diet is questionable since immunoreactive components of cow's milk protein can be detected in substitute formulas and even breast milk. In most case s, extensively hydrolyzed cow's milk-derived formulas can be safely in troduced, and these are efficient and clinically and metabolically wel l tolerated. The approach to control allergic inflammation by antigen elimination, however, is not satisfactory, particularly in patients wi th multiple food allergies. New approaches are urgently needed for the treatment of cow's milk allergy. These may include antigen eliminatio n supplemented with synthetic amino acid-derived formulas, immunothera py to counteract the immunologic dysfunction and stabilization of the gut mucosal barrier to strengthen endogenous defence mechanisms.