Journal de la Faculté de Médecine d'Oran (Apr 2022)
Familial atopy and cow’s milk protein allergy in infant in Western Algeria
Abstract
Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) is the first food allergy to appear in children andusually begins in infants in the first year of life and at the introduction of first baby bottles. It ranks fourth among food allergies in children, behind egg, peanut and fish [1]. Atopy is the individual or family tendency to develop manifestations of immediate hypersensitivity to immunoglobulin E (IgE). Atopic terrain has become a fundamental but not mandatory requirement in the diagnosis of food allergy. Thus, the presence of familial atopy in our patients and in families at risk would help in screening for APLV. The objective of our study is to describe atopy in the families of patients allergic to cow’s milk proteins, monitored in the two pediatric departments in Oran (Pediatrics «C» department. CHU Oran and the gastroenterology and nutrition department. EHS Canastel). Patients and methods - This is a retrospective study over a period of 29 years (1987 to 2015) of patients diagnosed with cow’s milk allergies on anamnestic and clinical criteria and a response to the proteins cow’s milk exclusion, in the two pediatric departments mentioned above, at an age ranging from a few hours to 21 months. Results - In total, our series has 1041 patients. However, comprehensive data on familial atopy were collected from a group of 392 patients; our results will be analyzed for this group. The sex ratio was 1,26 ; parental consanguinity was present in 20,80% of patients and the mean age at diagnosis was 3,91 ± 3,34 months. Familial atopy was found in 57,15% of patients, with at least one family member. The clinical presentations of atopy in the family members were, in order of frequency, respiratory (asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis) (76,10%), digestive (14,45%) and then cutaneous (eczema, urticaria) (9, 44%). Conclusion - Knowledge of atopic terrain is crucial for the prevention of APLV. The latter is based on the promotion of breastfeeding, especially for infants with a family history of atopy.
