Prospective evaluation of tolerance to unheated milk-boiled egg after baked milk-egg tolerance under 2 years.

BACKGROUND

The time to acquisition of tolerance to unheated milk and regular egg after achievement of tolerance to baked goods is not known.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the time to acquisition of unheated-milk-regular-egg tolerance, after the tolerance of the baked forms, in children younger than 2 years.

METHODS

An initial oral food challenge with baked milk (BM) and baked egg (BE) was performed on patients who were reactive to unheated milk-regular egg, respectively. Patients who were BM-BE tolerant were offered unheated-milk-regular-egg challenges, and patients who were BM-BE reactive were offered BM-BE challenges at an average of 3-month intervals. Food-induced atopic dermatitis was included.

RESULTS

Thirty-six children with unheated-milk allergy (median age, 7.3 months [interquartile range (IQR), 6.0-13.5]) and 65 with regular-egg allergy (median age, 7 months [IQR, 5.8-11.0]) were included. Seven of 13 children who were BM tolerant acquired unheated-milk tolerance after a median 4.0 months (IQR, 2.0-7.0). Twelve of 23 children who were BM reactive acquired unheated-milk tolerance after a median 5.0 months (IQR, 3.0-8.0) after BM tolerance. Twenty-one of 29 children who were BE tolerant acquired regular-egg tolerance after a median 3.0 months (IQR, 1.0-6.0). Sixteen of 36 children who were BE reactive acquired regular-egg tolerance after a median 4.0 months (IQR, 2.0-6.8) after BE tolerance.

CONCLUSION

Different tolerance rates were determined for baked products at different time points in the first 2 years of life. Unheated-milk-regular-egg allergy resolved in up to 65.5% and 75.5% of cases, respectively, in an average 4 to 5 months after acquisition of BM-BE tolerance. Baked-milk-baked-egg tolerance may be regarded as a precursor of tolerance.