Active formation of tolerance in case of allergy to cow's milk proteins

Abstract

Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening condition in which there are no approved pathogenetic treatments other than elimination of the causal allergen and relief of acute allergic conditions. IgE- mediated form of food allergy remains a serious and growing problem worldwide. Its prevalence is steadily increasing, and is a severe psychosocial and economic burden for patients and their families. Cow's milk and products based on it are important components of a child's diet, which are introduced into the diet of children of the first year of life, but can cause allergic reactions. The traditional management of children with cow's milk allergy consists in prescribing an elimination dairy-free diet and a significant part of patients form tolerance to milk proteins by the age of 5 years. However, with persistent forms of allergy to cows milk proteins, the question is raised about the need for "active" tactics of patient management in order to form tolerance. Oral immunotherapy is a promising approach to the treatment of food allergies based on a gradual increase in the allergen taken, by analogy with standardized immunotherapy for respiratory allergens, until a maintenance dose is reached. Each stage of oral immunotherapy should be considered as a personalized therapy. This review contains an analysis of available studies on the effectiveness of oral immunotherapy in the treatment of allergy to cow's milk proteins.