We were recently asked about allergy testing for a milk allergy in a child that was just one year old.

The little boy was in the process of changing from breast feeding to drinking cows milk.

Each time he drank cows milk, he came out in a rash. The concern is that if this is a milk allergy will it extend to other milk based dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, butter etc.?

If it is a milk allergy, what are the chances that he will grow out of it?

A true milk allergy can cause hives, wheezing, severe vomiting, or a drop in blood pressure that can lead to unconsciousness.

Of these reactions, hives are by far the most common. The rash appears as raised pink blobs that can occur anywhere on the body.

The armpits and just around the belly button are two areas that hives can commonly be found.

Hives are very itchy, and tend to last no more than twelve hours.

More pink blobs can follow, but no single spot stays in the same place for very long.

Children who have hives because of a milk allergy will usually grow out of it.

By the age of about four or five more than 90% will have grown out of it.

Sometimes, children who have mild milk allergy can tolerate dairy products that are cooked or heated.

This includes most cheeses and yoghurt, but sadly not ice cream!

If your child has had a serious reaction to milk you should be very careful about re-introducing milk to the child’s diet.

It may be safer to do allergy testing for milk first.

It is a good idea to discuss this with your GP.

It is now possible to do allergy testing for milk at home.

If you would like more information about allergy testing at home please click here.