title: How mothers perceive infants with unspecific gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of cow's milk allergy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether specific infant behavioural characteristics are present in children suspected of cow's milk allergy because of gastrointestinal symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively recruited 57 children (median age 8.7 months) with a suspicion of gastrointestinally manifested cow's milk protein allergy (GI-CMPA). None had detectable cow's milk-specific IgE. Mothers were asked to complete the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) Child Domain, and those with children below 18 months of age (n = 49) also the Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ). GI-CMPA was diagnosed with the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge. Control group (n = 22) consisted of patients (age range 4-26 months), attending the Pediatric Allergy Unit, who did not have diagnosed or suspected food allergies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The scores were significantly higher for the PSI (n = 48) Child Domain (p < 0.0001) and for the ITQ (n = 44) subscale Difficultness (p = 0.0045) compared with the control patients without suspected/diagnosed food allergy. The difference between the challenge positive (n = 18) and negative (n = 39) patients remained statistically insignificant. After 6 months, in both groups, the scores (PSI Child Domain p = 0.0004, ITQ Difficultness p = 0.0393) were lower, but the ITQ Difficultness score still remained higher than in the controls (p = 0.0453).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mothers often perceive infants with unspecific symptoms suggestive of GI-CMPA as demanding and temperamentally difficult.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Merras-Salmio
authors.forename: Eeva T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Aronen
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuitunen
authors.forename: Anna S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pelkonen
authors.forename: Mika J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mäkelä
authors.forename: Kaija-Leena
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kolho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013694:Temperament