People affected by cow milk allergy may develop tolerance: most studies have shown the prognosis of developing tolerance to cow milk to be good, with most outgrowing their allergy by age 3 years. A research by scientists of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine demonstrated that some patients may develop tolerance also during adolescence.

The study analyzed a large referral population of children with CMA, to define the natural course of allergy in patients' life, to analize the cow milk allergy resolution rate. Patients were considered tolerant to cow milk after they passed a challenge or experienced no reactions in the past 12 months and had a cow's milk IgE (cm-IgE) level <3 kU/L.

Rates of resolution were 19% by age 4 years, 42% by age 8 years, 64% by age 12 years, and 79% by 16 years, indicating that it is possible to become tolerant to cow milk even in adolescence. The number of patients that developed tolerance during adolescence indicates that follow-up and re-evaluation of CMA patients is important in their care.

Source: The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology