Cow's milk allergy in infancy and childhood: immunological and clinical aspects

Abstract

Allergy is an important disease that affects a substantial proportion of the general population, and which has seen an increasing incidence during the past three decades. Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the major food-allergies during infancy and early childhood. This thesis focuses on patients with CMA and atopic dermatitis (AD), which is the major presentation of CMA in the majority of patients during childhood. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of antigen-specific T cells in the etiology of CMA and AD. In addition, the currently used methods to diagnose CMA, in vivo and in vitro, are evaluated.