Prevalence of cow milk protein allergy (CMPA) and soy allergy and its association with T-IgE and specific IgE composition from lactating maternal serum
Allergy is an abnormal immunological condition that cause physical and biochemical changes of individual. This undesirable immunologic reaction initiated by exposure or stimulus which tolerated by normal individual but not to the sufferer. It is affecting people at a broad spectrum of age and can be detected as early as in infancy. Maternal concern on infants relies on the genetically transmission of immunologic cell to cause this disease especially at the first six months of infant’s life. In Malaysia, cow and soy milk are known as the two common sources of food allergen to trigger allergy reaction among infants. Thus, this study aimed to determine the the prevalence status of cow and soymilk allergy through Immunoglobulin E (IgE) among 36 lactating mothers. They were chosen on convenience sampling basis surround Dengkil, Selangor and Kuantan, Pahang. Based on clinical laboratory testing using ImmunoCAP 100 with CAP RAST system, from n=36 maternal serum, Total Immunoglobulin E (T-IgE) were ranged from 82 to 233 kU/L with mean±SD of 142.27±41.49, specific IgE to cow milk (Cow Milk IgE) ranged from 0.10 to 0.48 kU/L with mean±SD of 0.251±0.09 kU/L and specific IgE to soy (Soy IgE) ranged from 0.02 to 0.22kU/L with mean±SD of 0.127±0.04. From specific allergen test to cow milk and soy n=7(19.4) of mother clinically diagnosed with cow milk allergy but none for soy allergy. The correlation between those three variables has been tested using Pearson correlation while its association has been tested using Independent T-test and ANOVA. The results showed that there was positive strong correlation with r (36) =0.691, p=0.000 between T-IgE and CM-IgE but there was no significant correlation found between T-IgE and S-IgE since r(36)=0.159, p>0.05. Independent T-test also indicated that, there was a significance difference of T-IgE for mother who positively diagnosed with cow milk allergy (M=174.00, SD=40.52) and for mother who negatively diagnosed with cow milk allergy (M=134.62 SD=38.57) conditions;t(34)=-2, p=0.022. However, there was no significance difference of S-IgE who positively diagnosed with cow milk allergy (M=0.155, SD=0.037) and for mother who negatively diagnosed with cow milk allergy (M=0.120 SD=0.138) conditions(34)=-0.6, p=0.511. As overall, to have accurate allergy diagnosis through clinical test, both concentration, the T-IgE ans specific IgE (s-IgE) have to be considered