Food Allergies: desensitization to milk and egg

What is milk and egg desensitization?

The desensitization technique is a treatment used in patients who have not spontaneously overcome tolerance to milk and egg after years of evolution.

It consists of giving very small amounts of the allergen so that the patient can tolerate the food to which he/she is allergic, without triggering adverse reactions after ingestion. The intakes will be progressive and increasing and will be increased weekly, so that in 3-5 months the patient tolerates the equivalent of a glass of milk or an egg.

The benefits of desensitization are basically twofold. Firstly, it improves the child’s sociability, because it allows him/her to participate in a greater number of events (parties, birthdays, camps…) and secondly, it decreases the level of anxiety that parents of children with this pathology usually have.

From what age can it be done?

Although 60-80% of patients reach tolerance to milk or egg after a period of avoidance (months or years), desensitization can be started at any age. The disadvantage of this technique is that the child must visit the clinic every week for a period of 3 to 5 months.

Is it necessary a previous examination to see the levels of intolerance, allergy… Including also a normal blood test?

Before recommending a procedure such as desensitization, which requires time and effort for the families, due to the numerous medical visits it requires, it is necessary to perform a blood test to have certainty in the diagnosis.

In addition, this blood test will help us to monitor the allergy levels and to know its evolution over time during desensitization.

Read Now 👉  Trust, ease and accessibility, what patients demand most from telemedicine

When is this recommended?

In the first visit to the consultation, it is necessary to do a skin test and a blood test for diagnosis. After the diagnosis, every 6 months the analytical tests should be repeated to see the levels of allergic antibodies that the patient has against those foods, as well as to see the evolution that he/she presents. It is then the right time to decide whether desensitization should be introduced.

How long does the treatment last?

Desensitization lasts 3-5 months. During this process, as mentioned above, progressive amounts of milk are given. Although this is a personalized process for each patient, an example could be:

  • Week 1: 1 cm of milk.
  • Week 2: 2 cm of milk.
  • Week 3: 4 cm of milk.
  • Week 4: 8 cm of milk.
  • Week 5: 16 cm of milk.
  • Etc.

Sometimes it is necessary to modify this protocol because the patient may develop symptoms during desensitization, which slow down this progression.

What does the patient and his family achieve in terms of improvement?

Desensitization allows improvement in two aspects:

  1. It increases the child’s sociability: by overcoming this allergy, he/she has access to vacations, summer camps, birthdays and various parties. Generally, in this type of social events it is not possible to carry out a rigorous control of what each child eats at all times, so parents usually choose not to take them.
  2. It improves the quality of life of parents: they reduce their anxiety about the possibility of an allergic reaction when their children go on excursions, to the dining room, etc., in addition to the concern they have about whether their children have taken their medication.