Open challenge for the diagnosis of cow's milk protein allergy.
OBJECTIVE
To report the results of open challenge tests performed in children fed with cow's milk-free diet.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study evaluating cow's milk open challenge performed under supervision in a hospital setting during 2.5 hours and ambulatory follow-up for 30 days when no immediate reaction occurred. One hundred and twenty-one patients were included, with ages between 4 and 95 months. Cow's milk open challenge tests were positive in 28 patients (23.1%). A clinical manifestation of cow's milk allergy different from the one presented at diagnosis occurred in 12 (24.9%) patients with positive challenge. Positive challenge was more frequent (p = 0.042) in patients fed with extensively hydrolyzed formulae or amino acid-based formulae (30.3%) when compared to those fed with other exclusion diets (14.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Open challenge allowed the interruption of exclusion diet in a significant proportion of the patients.
Correa
Fernanda Ferreira
FF
Disciplina de Gastroenterologia Pediátrica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Vieira
Mário César
MC
Yamamoto
Danielle Reis
DR
Speridião
Patrícia da Graça Leite
Pda G
de Morais
Mauro Batista
MB
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000209:etiology