INTRODUCTION
Food allergies (FA) are an emerging health care problem in developed as
well as developing countries (1). This could be due to an increase in
western lifestyle in these countries. On the other hand, epidemiological
data on FA from most middle income countries are quite limited (2,3).
Also, FA symptoms can overlap with those of malnutrition and other
childhood illnesses, making proper diagnosis difficult, especially given
the limited number of allergists in developing countries (1-3). These
difficulties can also be reflected in FA overdiagnosis, as demonstrated
by a study carried out by Mendoza D. et al (4) in Peru, in which 40.9%
of patients whose parents reported some type of FA in a national
reference center of allergic diseases. Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA)
is the FA most frequently found in children under 1 year of age. Many of
the studies on the prevalence of CMPA in the region correspond to
diagnoses made by self-reports with a few of them taking into account
the family history of atopy, clinical characteristics, relationship with
food exposure, the performance of a food allergy test or conducting a
double-blind placebo control food challenge (DBPCFC) (5). This study
aims to describe patients under 1 year of age diagnosed with CMPA from
its clinical approach, undergoing laboratory tests, oral challenges and
the acquisition of tolerance 1 year after diagnosis.