Acharyya BC, Mukhopadhyay M. Escalation of soya cross-allergy in infants with cow's milk allergy. World J Clin Pediatr 2025; 14(2): 101663 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i2.101663]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bhaswati C Acharyya, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Institute of Child Health, No. 11 Dr Biresh Guha Street, Kolkata 700017, West Bengal, India. bacharyya21@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Pediatr. Jun 9, 2025; 14(2): 101663 Published online Jun 9, 2025. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i2.101663
Escalation of soya cross-allergy in infants with cow's milk allergy
Bhaswati C Acharyya, Meghdeep Mukhopadhyay
Bhaswati C Acharyya, Meghdeep Mukhopadhyay, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Institute of Child Health, Kolkata 700017, West Bengal, India
Bhaswati C Acharyya, Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Manipal Hospital, Kolkata 700099, West Bengal, India
Author contributions: Acharyya BC idealized and planned; Mukhopadhyay M helped in data collection and analysis. Both authors contributed to the writing.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical clearance has been achieved by institutional ethical committee.
Informed consent statement: This is a retrospective study from the data already collected on Cow’s Milk Allergy. A separate consent form was not filled by the parents.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement:sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bhaswati C Acharyya, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Institute of Child Health, No. 11 Dr Biresh Guha Street, Kolkata 700017, West Bengal, India. bacharyya21@gmail.com
Received: September 22, 2024 Revised: December 15, 2024 Accepted: February 21, 2025 Published online: June 9, 2025 Processing time: 176 Days and 17.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is a common condition in infants, requiring alternative protein sources in their diets. Soya milk has become a popular substitute, especially in developing countries where it is a more affordable option compared to expensive hypoallergenic feeds for infants with insufficient breast milk supply. However, recent observations have shown an increase in soya cross-allergic reactions among infants with CMA.
AIM
To determine how often infants diagnosed with CMA also had soya cross-allergy and to examine the symptoms and outcomes of these infants at 2 years of age.
METHODS
Data from two pediatric centers were analyzed, looking at clinical records of children under 2 years old diagnosed with CMA from August 2015 to July 2023, divided into two four-year periods.
RESULTS
The records of 432 infants with CMA were analyzed. In the first four-year period from August 2015 to July 2019, 142 infants were studied, with 27 (19%) found to have soya-protein allergy as well. In the second four-year period, a total of 290 infants were studied, and soya allergy was found in 136 babies (47%). This represents a significant increase (P < 0.0001) in cases of soya protein cross-allergy among infants with CMA. The most common symptoms observed were gastroesophageal reflux disorder (39%), followed by failure to thrive, bloody diarrhea, watery diarrhea, and constipation. At 2 years of age, these infants showed significant growth failure compared to infants with CMA only.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of being cautious when using soy protein in infants with cow's milk protein allergy, especially in areas where cost is a major concern.
Core Tip: This is a unique retrospective observational study showing a rising trend of soya cross allergy. Caution is advised when using soy milk as a substitute for infants with cow's milk allergy (CMA). This recent study shows a significant increase in soy protein cross-allergies among CMA infants, affecting nearly 47% of them. It is crucial to regularly monitor, accurately diagnose, and create personalized feeding plans for the best outcomes.
