Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is the most common food allergy in children under 4 years of age. However, studies show that 50% of children outgrow their CMA in the 1st year of life, and 80% outgrow it by age 3 to 4 years. Oral immunotherapy (OIT) with milk is a specific treatment for those with IgE-mediated allergy to cow’s milk (i.e. with symptoms and signs generally developing within minutes to a few hours after ingestion of cow’s milk). OIT may prevent a reaction when an allergic person accidentally drinks milk or eats food that contains milk. The downside of OIT are frequent adverse effects during treatment. This tool is designed to help you make an informed decision whether or not to choose OIT for yourself or for your child
Question
I have an allergy to cow’s milk that was confirmed by a physician. Should I accept oral immunotherapy with cow’s milk or continue avoiding cow’s milk and all foods that contain cow’s milk?
Who is this tool for?
You can benefit from this decision aid if you are:
- A child or an adult with IgE-mediated CMA
- A parent/caregiver of a minor with IgE-mediated CMA
How can you use this tool?
- You may review the information to make an independent decision about OIT.
- You may review the information to prepare for a discussion about OIT with your healthcare provider.
- You may also exit this tool now and leave the decision to your healthcare provider.
Remember: you may quit this decision aid at any time. When you continue with this decision aid you may skip any step by clicking 'next' in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. You may also go back to the previous step by clicking 'back'.
How can this tool help you?
This interactive decision aid will help you:
- understand the benefits and harms of receiving OIT for CMA
- think about how important the different benefits and harms are for you
- make a final decision whether or not to get OIT.