Allergies And Colitis

Allergic colitis is a disease of the gastrointestinal system most commonly affecting babies between 1 day and 6 months of age. It is particularly common in the first two months.

Allergic colitis is non-IgE mediated, meaning it is triggered by immune cells rather than antibodies. The disease develops in babies because of an allergic reaction to dietary proteins. The condition can be treated by the elimination of the triggering substances from the baby's diet.

Although allergic colitis is most common in infants, it can also affect older children. Food allergies can also be a contributing factor in adults with ulcerative colitis.

Causes

• Feeding infants with a milk-based formula is the most common cause of infant colitis, but the condition may also occur in breast-fed babies who are reacting to the presence of cow's milk in their mother's diet, which appears in the breast milk. Soy milk can equally act as a trigger.

Symptoms

• Often, the only symptom of allergic colitis is the presence of small, bloody spots or streaks in otherwise normal, soft stool and in an otherwise healthy-appearing baby.

  The small loss of blood in the stool of infants with colitis usually does not cause anemia, but treatment will be needed if other symptoms develop. Further symptoms of allergic colitis in infants are fussiness, diarrhea and vomiting.

  In some cases, symptoms may include failure to thrive. According to the University of Virginia Health System, symptoms of failure to thrive include lack of appropriate weight gain, irritability, lack of social response appropriate to the infant's age (such as smiling) and lack of vocal sounds or eye contact.

Diagnosis

• Pediatricians diagnose infant allergic colitis based on the infant's disease history and on stool examination. The pediatrician may perform a blood count, and additional tests may be necessary to rule out other causes or determine the extent of the inflammation, such as a biopsy to exclude other causes for bleeding.

Solution

• Switching to a hypoallergenic formula from a milk-based commercial formula resolves colitis for formula-fed babies. For breast-fed babies the solution is to remove the triggering protein (most often cow's milk) from the mother's diet. Improvement often occurs within 72 to 96 hours, but it is normal for bleeding to persist for a few weeks.

Allergic Colitis in Older Children

• Eggs are a common trigger in older children.

  Allergic colitis can also affect preschool-age children. At this age, the dietary triggers may include eggs, soy products and wheat, in addition to cow's milk. Allergic colitis in preschool children is usually associated with other conditions such as asthma, eczema and hay fever, or it may occur in children with minor immunodeficiency. The symptoms are loose stools with fleck of blood, often in combination with abdominal pain.