Abstract
Quality of life is negatively affected in children with food allergy. Oral immunotherapy is an approach to food allergy that leads to patient desensitization by administering gradually increasing amounts of a given food allergen. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate how oral immunotherapy affects quality of life in children allergic to cow milk proteins. Thirty children (aged 3–12 years) with cow milk allergy were recruited. Their parents were provided with a validated disease specific quality of life questionnaire (the food allergy quality of life questionnaire – parent form, FAQLQ-PF) before and again 2 months after completing an oral immunotherapy protocol with cow milk. A significant improvement in all the investigated domains - emotional impact, food anxiety and social and dietary limitations - was found. The separate analysis of the different age groups demonstrated that the emotional impact and the food-related anxiety improved in children older than 4, while the social domains improved in each age group. In this pilot experience, oral immunotherapy significantly improves quality of life in children with cow milk allergy. The improvement seems particularly evident in children over 4 years old, who are most likely to benefit from the oral immunotherapy approach. Further placebo-controlled studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.