Historically, dairy allergies have been considered, along with egg allergies, among the food allergies kids are most likely to outgrow in early childhood. Now, new research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology indicates that a sizable percentage of children with dairy allergies don't outgrow their allergies until late childhood or adolescence, if at all.
The study, which followed 807 children with allergies to cow's milk, found that only 19% of children had outgrown dairy allergies (that is, passed an oral food challenge test, or had experienced no reactions for twelve months and showed extremely low levels of allergen-specific IgE in blood tests) by the age of 4. While 79% had outgrown their dairy allergies by age 16, that left a sizable percentage --- about one in five --- with milk allergies into young adulthood.
