How Prevalent is Milk Allergy in Young Children?

More than half of infants under age 1 year with a known food allergy are allergic to cow’s milk, according to a new study presented at the 2018 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting.

Despite being relatively common, however, data suggested that many children with a milk allergy are likely to outgrow it, said lead author Christopher Warren, PhD(c).

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“We observed that while an estimated 53% of food-allergic infants under age 1 have a milk allergy, the number drops to 41% of 1-2-year-olds, 34% of 3-5-year-olds and 15% of 11-17-year olds,” he said.

These findings come from a survey conducted between October 2015 and September 2016 of more than 53,000 US parents living in households with children.

Survey results also indicated that, overall, more than 2% of all US children younger than age 5 years are allergic to cow’s milk.

“Children in the [United States] spend their early years drinking milk, so it’s important to know that many of them – at least in the first few years – may be allergic,” Warren said.

Notably, only about 26% of US children with milk allergy were reported to have a current epinephrine auto-injector prescription.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

1. Warren C, Gupta R. The epidemiology of milk allergy in U.S. children: An update. Paper presented at: 2018 American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Annual Meeting; November 15-19, 2018; Seattle WA.

2. Milk allergy affects half of U.S. food-allergic kids under age one [press release]. Seattle, WA. American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. November 16, 2018. https://acaai.org/milk-allergy-affects-half-us-food-allergic-kids-under-age-one. Accessed on November 16, 2018.