– The World Allergy Organization estimates that 1.9% to 4.9% of children live with cow’s milk allergy (CMA), which positions this disorder among the leading environmental epidemic diseases among children of the developed world. Of particular relevance, experts highlight the allergy march, which usually appears along with CMA, as an area of unmet need. The allergy march is the natural course of allergic disease, with a progression from eczema and food allergy in early childhood to asthma and allergic rhinitis at school age. However, as its symptoms are frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted, the allergy march is often linked to a lack of clinical approaches to address it at early stages.
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The medical community continues to seek cutting-edge nutritional solutions that help induce tolerance in early stages of the allergy march because “children with CMA have an increased risk to develop other allergic manifestations (AMs)”, commented Dr. Berni Canani, Associate Professor of Paediatrics at University of Naples Federico II and Principal Investigator at European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases during a two-day event sponsored by Mead Johnson Nutrition. This event, “LongTerm of New Dietary Management of CMA; Engineering the Microbiome”, kicked off yesterday in Rotterdam. In attendance are nearly 200 healthcare professionals, led by a panel of thought-leaders in paediatrics and nutrition, stressing the importance of breakthrough innovations to facilitate the patient’s journey to tolerance to CMA at earlier stages.
One of the latest findings in this area was announced by Dr.BerniCanani, who explained that he and his team recently “found that extensively hydrolyzed casein formula containing L.rhamnosus GG reduces the occurrence of other AMs, and increases the rate of tolerance acquisition at 12, 24 and 36 months,” which could mitigate the rising incidence of AMs among CMA in children.
According to Dr.Adam Fox, Consultant Paediatric Allergist at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospitals in London, who also led a session on the evolution of CMA management, “Changes (in the management of AMs) are being driven by our better understanding of the underlying mechanisms in tolerance induction together with the emerging clinical data on approaches that may influence it”.
Dr. Gigi Veereman, Professor at the Free University Brussels and Consultant in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the University Hospital Brussels, shared her recommendations on the approach to CMA. In line with the most successful evidence-based approaches, she highlighted the administration of amino acid and extensive hydrolysate formulas (AAF and EHF respectively), in which EHF must be introduced precisely to gain tolerance progressively, and to reintroduce cow’s milk eventually. Dr Veereman stressed that, in any case, “close clinical follow-up is key”.
Though the panelists encouraged attendees to keep innovating and working toward better management of the allergy march, they also called for action to unify recommendations in specific areas where guidelines are lacking. “There is a desperate need for validity of symptoms, clear categories and clear treatment approaches”, stated Dr.Neil Shah, Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Senior Lecturer at Catholic University Leuven.
About Mead Johnson Nutrition
Mead Johnson, a global leader in paediatric nutrition, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes more than 70 products in over 50 markets worldwide. The company’s mission is to nourish the world’s children for the best start in life. The Mead Johnson name has been associated with science-based paediatric nutrition products for over 110 years. For more information, go to http://www.meadjohnson.com.
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