It is important to differentiate between a true milk allergy
from lactose intolerance. The former involves the immune system
reacting to specific milk proteins, typically casein, and the
latter is secondary to digestive inability to breakdown lactose or
milk sugar.
A true milk allergy might cause immediate symptoms after
consumption such as:
1. Hives
2. Wheezing
3. Vomiting
4. Anaphylaxis, although rare, this reaction is serious (airway
constriction, severe drop in blood pressure, flushing of the skin)
and requires immediate medical attention.
Delayed milk allergy symptoms might include the
following:
1. Runny and itchy nose
2. Watery and itchy eyes
3. Coughing
3. Skin flushing
4. Abdominal cramps
5. Diarrhea (colic in babies)
On the other hand, lactose intolerance causes irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS), producing digestive symptoms shortly after
consumption such as:
1. Bloating
2. Gas
3. Abdominal cramps
4. Diarrhea
As you can see, these digestive symptoms are similar to delayed
milk allergy symptoms and this can cause some confusion. However,
lactose intolerance only produces irritable bowel symptoms as
described.
Here is something else to consider, irritable bowel syndrome or IBS
is not the same as inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. Confused? The
latter in this case, is an inflammatory condition of the colon
(ulcerative colitis) or of the small intestine and colon referred
to as Crohn's disease. Differentiated by location, both are
considered autoimmune conditions with various dietary triggers, and
cause similar symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal cramps and
diarrhea (severe) leading to malabsorption and malnutrition.
Although IBD does cause other symptoms, it does have similar
digestive symptoms as milk allergies and IBS.
Then you have celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction to gliadin, a
protein found in gluten (wheat, barley and rye). And you guessed
it, celiac disease also causes similar digestive symptoms as well
as other systemic symptoms.
Finally, soy proteins also cause allergic reactions very similar to
milk proteins, and in fact, is more common than milk allergies. It
is very important to understand the difference between milk and soy
proteins, and how they effect us, including infants and children.
This is a topic that I devote great time to in my book and is worth
learning about.
So, the key is how to differentiate and then how to treat? Of
course treatment will vary based on the condition and is too
involved to discuss in this post. However, aside from allergy blood
tests, there is another test that I use in my practice to help
differentiate gastrointestinal conditions: the Comprehensive
Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA 2.0) by Genova Diagnostics. This is
an easy test to perform at home over a three day
period.
Dr. Sardone
Author of The Naked Truth: Overweight, Overwhelmed and Confused
