Milk allergy nightmare for adults, children

According to mayoclinic.org, an online portal, anyone can develop an allergy at any age, although dairy allergy is most often diagnosed in children under three years. Dairy allergy symptoms are varied, and may increase in severity with age. The allergic reaction to dairy products comes from the body’s immune response to the proteins in cow’s milk. The body makes antibodies to the protein and releases histamines into the bloodstream.

Symptoms from the release of histamines can occur within a few minutes of eating dairy protein, including watery eyes, coughing, sneezing and sinus congestion. Additional symptoms can emerge several hours later, including diarrhoea, bloating, nausea, headache, and even disorientation and confusion.

When he was about three years old and ready to join Kindergarten, Alex Omalinga developed an allergic reaction to milk and other dairy products including butter, cheese, ice cream and yoghurt. “I cannot stand their taste or smell. If I consume any of these products, I vomit, get a headache and sometimes feel tired suddenly,” the information technology consultant says.

When it started
As a baby, Omalinga breastfed without getting any serious health issues. As he got older, his diet was supplemented with other food, including cow’s milk.
“My mother insisted on feeding me only on cow’s milk and for some time time I did not suffer any allergies,” he says adding that unfortunately one day after taking a cup of milk he vomited uncontrollably.

“From that time, I started hating anything to do with milk or any food item that smells like milk,” he says. Although he has not sought medical attention, Omalinga says his mother started separating his food and utensils to keep the allergy at bay. On why he does not seek medical intervention now, Omalinga says he does not see the need for it.
“People continuously come to me with recommendations of what herbs to take but I always tell them that I do not need treatment,” he says, adding, “My dislike for milk will not change any time soon. When something causes bodily harm, I stay away from it.”

In children
Rosemary Mbabazi says her 10-year-old daughter Clare Kaitesi has not taken milk for the past eight years. “Clare breastfed well and there were never any health complications. Problems started when I introduced her to cow’s milk,” Mbabazi says.
Every time Kaitesi took cow’s milk, her stomach made rumbling noises until she would start vomiting uncontrollably and sometimes develop a body rash. “These symptoms were always accompanied by a lot of irritability and crying,” Mbabazi says.

Diagnosis
When the symptoms persisted, Mbabazi took her daughter for medical tests and this is when the doctor informed her that Kaitesi had developed an allergic reaction to milk. She was advised to stop giving her daughter milk and within a short time, the symptoms completely disappeared.
“She used to ask why she was never given milk or ice cream just like her friends. I had to teach Kaitesi about the allergy and how taking diary products would affect her health. I also told her that there is nothing wrong with being different from other children,” Mbabazi says.

What the doctor says
A food allergy is a strange response triggered by the immune system to a particular diet. Dr Alex Kakoraki of Murchison Bay Hospital, Luzira, says people have different allergic reactions to food items for instance, those that are rich in proteins.
“For example, milk has lactose (a form of sugar) which is supposed to be broken down by an enzyme called lactase into simpler sugar forms called glucose and galactose,” he says, adding, “Lactose intolerance is when someone cannot digest this form of sugar (lactose), hence causing different reactions in a person.”

Kakoraki says the body may reject the lactose through getting diarrhoea. Other reactions may include abdominal pain, vomiting or developing a generalised skin rush termed as Steven Johnson Syndrome. According to Kakoraki, allergic reactions are best determined by the affected individual after consuming a particular food item. And in children, it is the caretakers to notice what kind of allergic reaction a youngster has towards particular food.

Treatment
“The best thing to do is to identify the foods that trigger an allergic reaction and stay away from them. If it is milk, do not drink it. If it is nuts, do not eat them,” he says, adding, “It is also important to find out the hidden components in packaged foods before consumption since some products may be infused with the substances one is allergic to.”

What to take instead
Milk contains a number of body building nutrients including calcium, proteins and vitamins. In circumstances where one does not take milk, it is important that they get the nutrients from other sources. “For instance, one can opt for green vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, foods high in calcium,” Dr Kakoraki advises.
On the other hand, fruits such as mangoes and oranges are great sources of vitamins.

Other common food allergies
According to Food Allergy and Research Education (FARE), one of the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to food allergy awareness, advocacy, education and research, tree nut allergy is one of the common allergies in both children and adults. Examples of tree nuts include almond, cashew, coconuts and hazelnuts, among others.

FARE reveals other allergies as egg and wheat allergy (both most common in children), spice allergies to products such as curry powder and pepper, as well as allergic reactions to fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas and carrots often diagnosed as Oral Allergy Syndrome.
Allergies to meats such as chicken, beef, mutton or pork, are rare. A person who is allergic to one type of meat may not need to avoid other types of meat. Cooking and heating meat may make the product less likely to cause a reaction. “To prevent a reaction, it is very important to avoid a particular food and its products,” FARE advises.