All issues > Volume 33(12); 1990

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1990;33(12):1639-1646. Published online December 31, 1990.

Changes of beta-lactoglobulin Specific Immunoglobulins According to the Age and the Onset of Cow's Milk Feeding.

Jong San Lee¹, Soo Young Cho¹, Pyoung Han Hwang¹, Soo Cheol Cho¹, Jung Soo Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University Chonju, Korea

Received: June 8, 1990;  Accepted: September 19, 1990.

Abstract

It is not yet possible to explain in detail the pathogenesis of the diverse types of food allergy encountered clinically. This generalization applies to milk allergy in spite of the large number of studies reporting the immune responses to cow’s milk proteins, both in healthy subjects and in milk sensitive patients. This study was performed to define the changes of circulating immunoglobulins against milk protein in children. 分-lactoglobulin specific IgG, IgA, and IgM were measured using ELISA on the sera of various groups of age. The results were as follows: 1) The values of 상-lactoglobulin specific IgG were higher in cord sera than those in adults and were gradually increased with their peak level at the age of 6-12 months and decreased thereafter. 2) IgA and IgM against 0-lactoglobulin were not detected in cord sera, and IgA was gradually increased with a small peak at the age of 6-12 months, while IgM rose by 2-6 years of age and then little or no further rise. 3) In children of 6-24 months of age, the 分-lactoglobulin specific IgG and IgA were significantly higher on the children fed on cow’s milk formula before 4 months of age than those from children fed on minimal cow’s milk or cow’s milk formula after 4 months of age. These results suggest that breast milk feeding in early infancy and if possible avoidance of cow’s milk formula before 4 months of age can be recommanded to minimize antibody formation against milk protein, 分-lactoglobulin, and also might be helpful in reducing the untoward effects of milk proteins.

Keywords :分-Lactoglobulin specific immunoglobulins