Powder Tops Drops for Treating Milk Allergies

A larger percentage of children with cow's milk allergies achieved desensitization with high doses of powdered milk protein than with low-dose liquid drops, according to a small, randomized study. After therapy, one of 10 patients in the liquid drops group passed a milk challenge, compared with six of 10 patients in a low-dose milk powder group and eight of 10 patients in a high-dose milk powder group, reported Corinne Keet, MD, from Johns Hopkins Hospital, and colleagues.

Oral and sublingual immunotherapies are viable therapies for food allergies, but the optimal mode of administration, mechanism of action, and duration of response are unknown, the authors explained. Previous research by these investigators demonstrated that both approaches can mitigate allergic symptoms, but this is the first head-to-head comparison of the two therapies with regard to efficacy and side effects.

Limitations to this study included the lack of a placebo group and variations in the day-to-day food challenge threshold. Also, the study did not assess whether starting liquid drops first eased the transition to milk powder. 

The findings highlight the value of routine milk consumption to preserve desensitization and to avoid relapse, the authors said. The investigators called for more research and warned that because of the risk for serious allergic reactions, neither therapy should be undertaken without medical supervision.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/AllergyImmunology/Allergy/30180