Allergic enteritis is a type of food allergy that causes inflammation in the small intestine or colon of infants. It is most often caused by the proteins in cow’s milk, although it can sometimes occur with proteins in foods such as chicken, eggs, fish, soybeans and rice. Symptoms usually occur in the first few months after birth but may also develop in older babies. For babies who are solely breast fed, changes in the mother’s diet can be helpful. Some babies can be quite ill and require special hypoallergenic formulas.
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What are the signs and symptoms of allergic enteritis?
Common symptoms include:
- Vomiting after feeding
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal discomfort
- Slow weight gain
- Facial puffiness from low proteins in the blood
- Blood in the stool
Please note there are many conditions that have similar symptoms. It’s important to see your child’s doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
What causes allergic enteritis?
While clear that an allergy to dietary proteins causes allergic enterocolitis, the exact mechanism is unclear.
How is chronic allergic enteritis treated?
In most cases, allergic enteritis is treated by eliminating milk from the mother’s diet (if she is breastfeeding) or changing the baby’s formula to one that is hypoallergenic. Symptoms usually improve a few weeks after this change is made.
Sometimes the mother is put on an elimination diet to cut out all foods that may be causing the allergy.
For babies who are more ill, close monitoring by a pediatric gastroenterologist and pediatric dietician is important to guide therapy.