pediatric food allergy

I have a 1 year old son who is being transitioned to whole milk from soy formula.  Any time the milk contacts his skin, he gets a rash and welts.  I am not sure if this is okay or if I should be concerned.  Otherwise he is tolerating the milk okay, no vomiting or diarrhea.  Any suggestions?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

As your child is showing rashes on touching of milk,this means he is allergic to milk proteins. Fortunately, most babies outgrow milk allergies by their second or third year. Babies who develop cow's milk protein allergy may have one or several of the symptoms like eczema or skin rash,abdominal pain or cramps,vomiting or diarrhea.

I feel that you should consult an allergy specialist and get skin ***** or patch tests done.These symptoms have to be differentiated from other conditions like dermatitis or eczema.Moreover, it's extremely important to know for certain if your child has a cow's milk protein allergy because if he does, you'll have to be very careful about making sure that all milk and milk products are removed from his diet.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[mama0307]

Thank you for your response.  More info, he has already been diagnosed with eczema.  He was about 2 months old when that came about so we are managing that with Aveeno products and cortisone cream when it is really bad.  I know that eczema and allergies can go hand in hand.  I have asthma and allergies, however no food allergies.  My question is, if he doesn't get any of the milk on his skin he doesn't have any apparent reactions to it.  If it is only a local reaction to contact, do you still feel it is an allergy?  If so, should I go ahead and put him on soy milk?  (do you work in the medical field?)


Thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

I feel that it is an allergic contact dermatitis. Allergic dermatitis is usually confined to the area where the trigger actually touched the skin,thus causing rash,itching or blisters and wheals.Diagnosis of eczema is making your child more susceptible to it.To find out whether your child is having contact dermatitis to milk(eczema)or he is having milk allergy(rashes are present in the mild form of milk allergy),skin tests and food challenge tests have to be done by an allergist.Pls consult him for that.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how your child is doing