Positive Health Online

Abstract

ZEIGER and colleagues, Department of Allergy, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, CA USA investigated the prevalence of soy allergy in IgE-associated cows milk allergy (CMA) .

Background

Methodology

93 children with <3.5 years with documented IgE-associated CMA were evaluated for soy allergy by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge, open challenge, or convincing previous history of an anaphylactic reaction to soy. Those children who were tolerant to soy at entry received soy formula and were followed up for 1 year.

Results

From this IgE-associated CMA cohort, aged 3-41 months, 14% were shown to have an allergy to soy, 12 definitely at entry and 1 possibly following 1 year of soy ingestion. The latter child experienced severe failure to thrive at enrolment, demonstrated improved growth while receiving soy during follow-up but was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis at study completion.. There was improved growth in the non-soy-allergic cohort ingesting soy formula during the follow-up year.

Conclusion

Soy allergy occurs in only a small minority of young children with IgE-associated CMA, and as such, soy formula may provide a safe and growth-promoting alternative for the majority of children with IgE-associated CMA shown to be soy tolerant at the time of introduction of soy formula.

References

Zeiger RS et al. Soy allergy in infants and children with IgE-associated cows milk allergy. Journal of Pediatrics 134(5): 614-22. May 1999.

Comment

Given the rising substitution of soy for cows milk among parents of infants, this information regarding the true prevalence of soy allergy is timely and important.