Remaining symptoms in half the children treated for milk allergy

The aim of this study was to investigate the cumulative incidence and predictive variables of treatment failure with a whey-based extensively hydrolyzed formula (w-eHF) in children with cow’s milk allergy (CMA). All children were diagnosed with CMA, using double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) with amino acid-based formula as placebo, and receive w-eHF treatment after diagnosis. Forty-nine children with CMA were included. w-eHF treatment failure was defined as incomplete resolution of original CMA symptoms upon w-eHF treatment and disappearance of these symptoms upon replacement of w-eHF with amino acid-based formula. A multiple logistic regression model was used to investigate which variables could predict treatment failure. Twenty-five (51 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 38–64 %) of the children with CMA failed on w-eHF. Only “gastrointestinal discomfort” was found to contribute independently to the probability of failing w-eHF, odds ratio (95 % CI) 8.994 (1.007–79.457).