Conditions: Milk Hypersensitivity
Keywords: Food Allergy Oral Immunotherapy Immunoglobulin E
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 20
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to determine if small oral doses of milk protein are safe and effective in decreasing sensitivity to cow's milk in allergic children.

Detailed description:
This is a prospective, multi-center, clinical trial involving children aged 6 to 21 years with persistent cow's milk allergy. These children will be recruited from 2 sites (Johns Hopkins and Duke University) and will undergo initial screening and double-blind, placebo-controlled, food challenge (DBPCFC) to confirm threshold dose for reactivity to milk. Patients will be treated with milk oral immunotherapy (OIT) or placebo for 22-30 weeks. Those who reach an adequate maintenance dose for OIT will undergo a second DBPCFC. Those who develop desensitization will continue with daily milk intake and undergo a third DBPCFC. Those in the treatment group who are not desensitized will return to strict avoidance. Those in placebo group will be offered to begin treatment or continue with strict milk avoidance. Symptom and diet information will be collected initially and at regular intervals. Bloodwork, skin prick tests (SPTs), pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and oral secretion samples will be done initially and at periodic intervals.

Arms:
arm 1: Pre-measured doses of dry, nonfat powered milk prepared by the clinical research-registered dieticians arm 2: None

Interventions: intervention 1: cow's milk powder intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Milk powder given orally in escalating doses to a goal of 500 mg for approximately 23 weeks intervention 2: None

Protocol document: