Allergy to the mixture: how is it manifested and what to do?

Allergy to the mixture, unfortunately, is a common phenomenon in the artificial feeding of babies. An allergy not only in children, but also in adults, today acquires all the signs of an epidemic. This phenomenon is associated with many factors, but in children who eat mixtures, allergic reactions are explained by increased sensitivity to food components - alimentary allergy.

Statistics say that food allergy is about 50% of all forms and types of allergies. Also, there is already confirmed statistical data that over the past two decades the number of children suffering from intolerance to food components has increased tenfold. An allergy to milk protein becomes not only a problem of toddlers getting blends, but also many adults too.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Why does the mixture allergenic?

Allergy to the mixture is explained by the common mechanism of the pathogenesis of alimentary allergy. The digestive organs do not accept foreign milk protein, especially for newborns whose digestive tract is not yet formed. The baby's organism perceives milk protein as an antigen in contrast to the protein of mother's milk. The mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract in a baby is extremely vulnerable, its permeability is high, the fermentation process is imperfect. Thus, the foreign milk protein penetrates into the blood rather quickly, practically without splitting, without meeting worthy protection. The only thing that the immune system of a child is able to do is to isolate specific antibodies that also have not yet learned to recognize the true "enemy". Antibodies quickly enter into a pathological "union" with allergens and form the CEC - circulating immunocomplexes. The CEC, in turn, destroys the cell membranes, settling on them. So there are allergic reactions, provoked by milk protein. In addition to the gastrointestinal tract, the liver of the child also becomes a target for allergens because of its immaturity and insufficiently formed protective function.

That the child does not develop an allergy to the mixture, the food should be selected in accordance with the immune status of the child. In addition, the pediatrician who observes the baby must take into account the family history. If one of the parents suffers any kind of allergy, or both parents are allergic, the risk that the child may be allergic to the mixture, increases many times. It is for such children that there are special mixtures consisting not of milk protein, but of its hydrolyzate.

A little more about what the BKM is - a protein of cow's milk and what is its hydrolyzate.

Cow milk protein is one of the first places in the rating of all food allergens, especially it is important for the process of artificial feeding of infants. BKM (cow's milk protein) includes about 20 antigens, the most formidable of which is β-lactoglobulin, it is 65% of the BKM. Further on the strength of allergenic properties are casein, α-lactalbumin and serum albumin.

The hydrolyzate of milk protein is the disintegration of the protein molecule, and hence the interruption of the connection that constitutes a threat to the body of allergens. Both serum proteins and casein are subject to hydrolysis. Hypoallergenic formula has a special label - hypoallergenic or HA. All mixtures of this type are conditionally divided according to the type of hydrolyzate, as well as by the way the protein is cleaved. Such mixtures are not curative, they rather prevent allergies in children. So, mixtures with a high hydrolyzate are considered safer, since their composition does not contain any allergen. The protein in such mixtures is split into extremely small amino acids and peptides. However, they do not contribute to the general adaptation of the child's organism to the milk protein and do not "train" food tolerance to it. In mixtures with moderate hydrolyzate BKM there is a small amount of milk allergens, safe for the baby's health. Such food contributes to the development of adaptive mechanisms, and the child's body after a certain period can normally perceive milk proteins. It should be noted that all hydrolysed mixtures have a specific bitter taste, due to the technology of protein breakdown. The current generation of mixtures practically does not contain soy components, which until quite recently were included in baby food. This is due to a high percentage of allergic reactions (up to 40%) in children on soy protein.

How is the allergy to the mixture manifested?

Allergy to the mixture in children is manifested by the following symptoms: 

• Enteritis, constipation, diarrhea; 
• Regurgitation, sometimes vomiting; 
• Intestinal colic; 
• Respiratory reactions - dyspnea, rarely - apnea; 
• Dermatitis, rashes on the skin.

What should I do if I have an allergy to the mixture?

If the allergy to the mixture caused the child to have polysymptomatics - atopic dermatitis concurrent with stool disorder and shortness of breath - the baby should immediately be hospitalized to avoid the risk of anaphylactic shock. If the symptoms are not pronounced or develop gradually, it is necessary to consult the treating pediatrician on the issue of correcting the diet and its regimen. Also, sparing antihistamines, anti-allergic external agents can be prescribed. Categorically excluded independent treatment, especially unchecked means and methods, because it is about the health of a small child, whose adaptive and protective functions are still being formed and are weak enough.

Allergy to the mixture in children, despite the fact that this is a common phenomenon, is well supervised provided that the doctor's recommendations are strictly observed.