• Minji Kim, Ji Young Lee, Hea-Kyoung Yang, Ho Jeong Won, Kyunga Kim, Jihyun Kim, and Kangmo Ahn.
• Department of Pediatrics, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University School of Medicine, Dongtan, Republic of Korea.
• Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. 2020 Jan 1; 181 (2): 103-110.

BackgroundMost of children with cow's milk (CM) and hen's egg allergies are known to outgrow their diseases with time, but recent studies have demonstrated that children tend to continue to have allergic symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the natural course of CM and egg allergies in Korean children and analyze prognostic factors.MethodsIn this retrospective study, we reviewed data of children with CM allergy and with egg allergy using medical records and parental telephone interviews. Diagnosis of CM or egg allergy was based on positive oral food challenge test or convincing history of allergic symptoms in combination with positive allergen-specific IgE. Acquisition of tolerance was defined by the absence of allergic symptoms after reintroduction of the offending foods.ResultsHalf of the children outgrew CM allergy at a median age of 8.7 years. CM-specific IgE level at the first reaction was a significant prognostic factor for oral tolerance in CM allergy (p < 0.05). The median age to acquire oral tolerance in 50% of patients with egg allergy was 5.6 years. Egg-specific IgE level at the first reaction and family history of allergic diseases significantly affected the prognosis in children with egg allergy (p < 0.05).ConclusionsHalf of Korean children with CM and egg allergies had symptom resolution at 8.7 and 5.6 years of age, respectively. Our results also suggest that CM- and egg-specific IgE levels at the first reaction are the most significant prognostic factors in predicting acquisition of oral tolerance.© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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