Symptoms of a milk protein allergy

A milk allergy is a reaction from the immune system because of the protein in the milk, whilst an intolerance is a lack of enzymes to digest the milk. CMA happens in both, breastfeed and formular feed babies and therefore needs to be eliminated from the diet. But stopping to breastfeed is not the answer to the problem even if the mother gets told by the formular industry that formulars without cow’s milk proteins is better for the baby. Better advise would be for the breastfeeding mother to cut out dairy and to put her on vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Typical symptoms of a milk protein allergy present themselves with:

• Wheezing and coughing

• Abdominal pain or diarrhoea

• Overall miserable looking baby

• Itchy red rash, try spots or red bum area

• Swelling of the mouth, face or other areas of the body

• Vomiting

• Hay fever-like symptoms, such as sneezing or itchy eyes

• Frequent and loose stools that may look greenish

• Eczema that doesn´t get better with treatment

• Swollen tongue

Most symptoms of lactose intolerance in babies and children are:

• being irritable

• nappy rashes

• stomach aches

• liquid, sometimes green, frothy stools

• passing a lot of gas

• bloating

• not putting on weight

It´s the same for grown-ups in the family, the milk allergy symptoms are basically the same as in other allergies. The symptoms listed above are just the main symptoms but definitely not limited to those, therefore it is always important to visit a specialist. Furthermore, is it important to talk to a health expert even if you are sure that it is a milk allergy, since the intensity of the symptoms could vary every time and could be worse the next time.