Food allergy and infantile autism.

The etiopathogenesis of infantile autism is still unknown. Recently some authors have suggested that food peptides might be able to determine toxic effects at the level of the central nervous system by interacting with neurotransmitters. In fact a worsening of neurological symptoms has been reported in autistic patients after the consumption of milk and wheat. The aim of the present study has been to verify the efficacy of a cow's milk free diet (or other foods which gave a positive result after a skin test) in 36 autistic patients. We also looked for immunological signs of food allergy in autistic patients on a free choice diet. We noticed a marked improvement in the behavioural symptoms of patients after a period of 8 weeks on an elimination diet and we found high levels of IgA antigen specific antibodies for casein, lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin and IgG and IgM for casein. The levels of these antibodies were significantly higher than those of a control group which consisted of 20 healthy children. Our results lead us to hypothesise a relationship between food allergy and infantile autism as has already been suggested for other disturbances of the central nervous system.

Food allergy in cystic fibrosis.

Food allergy was investigated in 20 children with cystic fibrosis (CF), who still suffered from diarrhea and failed to thrive, in spite of adequate diet and enzyme treatment (group A). The study also included two age-matched control groups, comprising 10 CF children without intestinal symptoms and/or failure to thrive (group B), and 20 healthy children (group C). Skin tests were positive and total IgE higher than the mean + 2SD respectively in 14/20 and 11/20 patients of group A, in 3/10 and 2/10 patients in group B and in none in group C. The specific IgE were present in 6/14 children in group A whose skin tests were positive and in none in group B. There was no significant difference between group A and group B (p > 0.05). The levels of specific antibodies IgG, IgA and IgM were overall higher than the mean + 2SD of the normal in 18/20 in group A, in 6/10 in group B and in none in group C. The measurement by ELISA of specific antibodies for cow milk and egg proteins showed a statistically significant difference for casein, beta-lactoglobulin and ovalbumin between the IgG (p < 0.05) and IgA (p < 0.001) levels in group A and the other groups (B and C). Symptoms improved in 90% of CF patients (group A) when the implicated foods were eliminated from the diet and in 78% the oral provocation test resulted positive. The occurrence of food allergy must be considered in CF patients who do not improve with the conventional treatment. In these patients immunological investigations, in particular the measurement of IgG, IgA and IgM specific antibodies, are useful for diagnosis and in selecting an appropriate diet leading to an improvement in nutritional status.

[Hemicrania and food allergy in children]. / Emicrania e allergia alimentare nel bambino.

Ninety-two children affected by migraine were studied, of which 49 had positive skin tests to one or more foods. Forty of those who tested positive (87%) improved after following an elimination diet for 4-6 weeks and were positive for at least one challenge test for the same types of foods which resulted in positive skin tests. Thirty-one children were cured following the elimination diet and 9 improved. At two years, despite the reintroduction of the suspected food or foods 6 to 12 months after the start of the elimination diet, these results remained unchanged.