Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy in South Jordan

Eyad Altamimi

Jordan Medical Journal, Vol 48, No 3 (2014)

Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is the most common food allergy during infancy. Clinical presentation is of tremendous importance for diagnosis. Data from our part of the world is scarce. Our aim is to study the spectrum of symptoms, management and outcomes of children with CMPA in Jordan. A pre-validated clinical definition of CMPA was adopted. All patients with CMPA followed at our clinic during the study period (Nov 2009-June, 2013) were identified. Patients who met the definition were included; their medical charts were reviewed, regarding their demographics, clinical presentations, therapeutic intervention and outcome. Data were analyzed and presented as averages and percentages. Over the study period, 40 patients were identified. Twenty-five patients met the adopted definition. Sixteen patients (64%) were males. The average age of presentation was 4.7 mo. Twenty-four patients (96%) had at least one or more gastrointestinal symptom, while dermatological and respiratory involvement were seen in 8 patients (32%). Three patients (12%) had elevated transaminases. The response rate to Soya-based formula was 76% while response to amino acid formula was 100%. CMPA is not uncommon. Clinical presentations are diverse. Gastrointestinal manifestations were the most common presentation in our cohort. Elevated liver enzymes can be unusual presentation of CMPA. Larger studies are needed to estimate the size of the problem in our population.