Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2024 Oct;12(4):184-189. 10.4168/aard.2024.12.4.184.

The effect of baked egg and milk consumption on IgE-mediated egg and milk allergies in young children

• Kang J
• Kim S
• Song J
• Shin S
• Ahn K
• Jang S
• Kim J

• KMID: 2560714
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2024.12.4.184

Abstract

Purpose
We aimed to evaluate the effects of baked egg and milk diets on the prognosis of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy in young children.
Methods
In this retrospective study, we enrolled children under 36 months of age who were diagnosed with egg or milk allergy between January 2020 and July 2023. The consumption group underwent oral food challenges with baked egg or milk, and was instructed to include baked eggs and milk in their diet for at least 6 months. The control group, matched for age and specific IgE (sIgE) levels, restricted these foods. We compared the age at which tolerance was achieved, and analyzed changes in total IgE and sIgE levels against egg white (EW), ovomucoid (OM), and cow’s milk (CM) in both groups.
Results
Data were collected from 24 children in both the consumption and control groups. The consumption group demonstrated a significantly earlier acquisition of tolerance to egg and milk allergies compared to the control group (median: 24 vs. 31 months, P= 0.045). In the consumption group, total IgE and CM-sIgE levels showed no significant changes (P= 0.073 and P= 0.118, respectively), while EW- and OM-sIgE levels significantly decreased (P < 0.001 and P = 0.016, respectively). In the control group, total IgE and CM-sIgE levels significantly increased from baseline (P = 0.038 and P < 0.001, respectively), whereas there were no significant changes in EW- and OM-sIgE levels (P = 0.054 and P = 0.190, respectively). Between the consumption and control groups, no significant differences were observed in the changes in total IgE or specific IgE to EW, OM, and CM before and after the observation period (P = 0.404, P = 0.238, P = 0.531, and P = 0.167, respectively).
Conclusion
These findings suggest that diets of baked eggs and milk may accelerate the development of tolerance in children with egg or milk allergies.

Keyword

Child; Food allergy; Baked egg; Baked milk; Oral food challenge