title: Analysis of α-lactalbumin-, β-lactoglobulin-, and casein-specific IgE among children with atopic diseases in a tertiary medical center in Northern Taiwan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cow's milk allergy is the first manifestation of the allergic march, because cow's milk proteins are the first foreign proteins consumed in large quantities by infants. The aim of this study was to determine which of these proteins causes the greatest sensitization in Taiwanese individuals, and its correlation with atopic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of atopic patients who were treated at the National Taiwan University Hospital from January 2009 to March 2011. A total of 190 patients were enrolled and tested for isolated cow's milk protein (α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and casein) sensitization. These patients were further divided into atopic dermatitis and non-atopic dermatitis subgroups, and also grouped by age. Differences in sensitization to cow's milk proteins between groups were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitization rate to α-lactalbumin-specific IgE was 60%, followed by β-lactoglobulin (46.84%) and casein (40.53%). The levels of specific IgE antibodies against α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and casein were higher in patients with atopic dermatitis (1.8, 1.19, 0.95 vs. 0.77, 0.55, 0.40 kUA/L). The younger age group had higher mean specific IgE antibodies against cow's milk proteins than the older age groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a different distribution of cow's milk protein sensitization in Taiwanese patients in our study, with α-lactalbumin being most common as compared to casein in Western countries. Among the patients with cow's milk sensitization, the atopic dermatitis group had significantly higher cow's milk protein-specific IgE antibodies as compared to the non-atopic dermatitis group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Mei
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jyh-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yao-Hsu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Tsan
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Chieh
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsin-Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: gicmbor@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Bor-Luen
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000473:pathology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000276:immunology*; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D007782:Lactoglobulins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007768:Lactalbumin