title: Role of parental atopy in cow's milk allergy: a population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A family history of atopy has been considered an independent risk factor for atopic diseases in children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To relate the risk of an infant developing IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy (IgE-CMA) to the atopic status of parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Assessment of the parental atopic status of children with IgE-CMA (n = 66) previously identified in a large-scale prospective study was compared with the parental atopic status of a control group of healthy infants (n = 156). The atopic status was identified both by self-reporting and skin prick tests (SPTs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis for the risk for infants to develop IgE-CMA depended on the assessment method used. No significant differences were noted in self-reported parental atopic status between the IgE-CMA patients and the control group. However, among the subgroup of infants with persistent IgE-CMA (n = 25), maternal but not paternal self-reporting for atopy was more likely compared with parents of the control group (P = .04). In contrast, when analyzed by SPT, in both this persistent subgroup and the total allergic cohort, no significant differences were noted whether analyzed by single parent or both parents and whether the parent tested singly or multiply positive on the SPT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In families with children with persistent IgE-CMA, self-reporting of atopy by parents may be biased. Furthermore, the demonstration of IgE-mediated responses to allergens in parents is insufficient by itself, in a general population cohort, to predict which infants are at greatest risk of developing IgE-CMA.
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Immunology Institute Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel. goldbergsm@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Arnon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elizur
authors.forename: Nellie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajuan
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rachmiel
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Galia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zadik-Mnuhin
authors.forename: Yitzhak
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010290:Parents; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E