Milk Allergy Advice from the Mayo Clinic

A few months ago, I posted information about Preventing food allergy in children from an article on the Mayo Clinic website.

Today's article is just as useful. It's called simply Milk allergy.

Here's just a very brief excerpt:

Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of milk allergy differ from person to person and occur within a few minutes to a few hours after ingesting milk. In some cases, reactions to a milk allergy develop after exposure to milk for an extended period of time. Rarely, infants have an allergic reaction to small amounts of cow's milk protein passed through their mother's breast milk.

Signs of a milk allergy that may occur immediately after consuming milk include:

Wheezing
Vomiting
Hives
Signs and symptoms that may take more time to develop include:

Loose stools (which may contain blood or mucus)
Diarrhea
Abdominal cramps
Coughing or wheezing
Runny nose
Skin rash

Milk allergy or milk intolerance?
It's important to differentiate a true milk allergy from milk protein intolerance or lactose intolerance. Unlike a milk allergy, intolerance doesn't involve the immune system. Milk intolerance causes different symptoms and requires different treatment than does a true milk allergy. Common signs and symptoms of milk protein or lactose intolerance include digestive problems, such as bloating, gas or diarrhea, after consuming milk.

There are many pages more information, including more anaphylaxis Signs and Symptoms, and:

▪ Causes
▪ Risk factors
▪ When to seek medical advice
▪ Screening and diagnosis
▪ Complications
▪ Treatment
▪ Prevention

By all means, check this out.