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What is a Milk Allergy?

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

A milk allergy is basically a problem with a person's immune system. It occurs when a person's immune system sees milk and milk-containing products as foreign and dangerous substances. When a person with this type of allergy consumes milk or a milk-based product, his body attempts to combat the suspicious substance. An allergic reaction ensues, which may have unpleasant symptoms.

When someone develops a milk allergy, she may experience symptoms right after eating or several days after drinking or eating milk products. A person with a milk allergy may experience nausea and diarrhea, which may be bloody. In some cases, vomiting may occur as well. Other symptoms of a milk allergy can include gagging, skin rashes, irritability, wheezing, itchy eyes, and swelling. A baby or young child may also refuse to eat in response to allergy symptoms. Though it is rare, a person with a milk allergy may experience life-threatening anaphylaxis, which can cause her to have trouble breathing.

Milk.
Milk.

Though milk allergies can be present at any age, they are far more common in infants and young children. In fact, it is very common for the first symptoms of this allergy to show up when a person is less than six months old. When a person is allergic to milk, he may be allergic to either one type of milk protein or both types--casein and whey. If a person is sensitive to these proteins, he should pay careful attention to what he eats, as they are found in a variety of processed foods. Some contain only casein, others include whey and some contain both.

Oral antihistamines can help treat symptoms caused by an allergic reaction to milk.
Oral antihistamines can help treat symptoms caused by an allergic reaction to milk.

There's really no good treatment for a milk allergy. The best way to treat it is actually prevention, which means avoiding milk and the proteins found within it. Since this may be hard to do, especially if you don't know the exact ingredients in everything you eat, antihistamines may come to the rescue to relieve symptoms after an accidental exposure. If you develop anaphylaxis, an emergency shot of adrenaline and emergency care from a physician will likely be necessary.

Allergies may manifest as skin rashes.
Allergies may manifest as skin rashes.

It may not be possible to prevent all cases of milk allergies, but there are some things that may help to head off some cases in infants and young children. First, it is best to avoid giving cow's milk and other edibles that contain milk to children who are under the age of one. Some researchers believe this may help to prevent the development of allergies. Additionally, breastfeeding may help to reduce the chance that an infant will develop an allergy to cow's milk. It may also be helpful to avoid consuming milk products while breastfeeding a baby.

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a WiseGEEK writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.

Learn more...
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a WiseGEEK writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

myharley

There seems to be more alternatives available for someone who has a milk allergy than there used to be. The health food market in my local grocery store has a large selection of soy milk, rice milk and almond milk, which can be used as alternatives.

Many of the common milk allergy symptoms can include abdominal discomfort, difficulty breathing and a rash. Once you get tested and know what to avoid, it is nice to know there are several other choices for you.

I have tried several of them, but my favorite is almond milk. It does not have the white color of milk, but is slightly sweet and tastes very good.

Mykol

Milk allergies in babies are more common than what many people realize. One good thing about them, is that many kids will outgrow the allergy by the time they are around 5.

This happened with our daughter, and while it can be difficult to avoid milk for young kids, it helps to know they probably won't have to avoid it the rest of their lives.

Before my daughter began school, she had outgrown this allergy, and now has no problem drinking milk or eating foods that have milk in them.

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    • Milk.
      By: Elena Schweitzer
      Milk.
    • Oral antihistamines can help treat symptoms caused by an allergic reaction to milk.
      By: Wellford Tiller
      Oral antihistamines can help treat symptoms caused by an allergic reaction to milk.
    • Allergies may manifest as skin rashes.
      By: darkhriss
      Allergies may manifest as skin rashes.
    • Breastfeeding will reduce the chances of an infant developing an allergy to cow's milk.
      By: Claudio Divizia
      Breastfeeding will reduce the chances of an infant developing an allergy to cow's milk.