A survey commissioned by the charity Act Against Allergy found that milk allergy caused a range of emotional problems for families: 82 per cent of parents said their child's allergy had caused them to lose sleep, 70 per cent felt guilty, and half had missed work, while 38 per cent said that it had caused arguments between partners.
Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is difficult to diagnose because symptoms such as eczema, stomach problems, vomiting and diarrhoea are similar to those found in other illnesses.
Earlier research by Act Against Allergy last year found that 80 per cent of doctors confused milk allergy with other illnesses.
The charity questioned 1,000 parents of nought to three-year-olds from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain about their awareness and experience of CMA and its symptoms. Of these, 219 parents were identified as having children with CMA.
Zilla Baker, whose six-month- old son Zeb is allergic to cow's milk, said, 'It took more than four weeks for Zeb to be diagnosed. When you have a new baby you have so much to cope with anyway and it made me feel very on edge, and caused arguments with my partner as we disagreed on what action to take.
'Now Zeb has a non-cow's milk formula and all his problems have cleared up.
But I worry about the damage it may have done to his digestive system, being exposed to cow's milk for that length of time.'
Dr Martin Brueton, paediatric gastroenterologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, said, 'Having a child with CMA can be very stressful for parents. Babies will tend to feel uncomfortable and not feed or sleep well; parents will become overtired and may feel guilty over not being able to feed the baby properly, causing more anxiety and stress. There needs to be more awareness that young babies can be sensitive to cow's milk.'
Most food allergies occur in the first two years of life and milk is the most common source, followed by soy, egg, peanuts and tree nuts, wheat, fish and shellfish. Parents are advised to consult a GP if milk allergy is suspected and request a referral to a specialist if necessary.
For more information visit www.actagainstallergy.co.uk.